X-Message-Number: 11670 Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 08:53:25 -0700 From: Olaf Henny <> Subject: Nitric Oxide confirmed as a regulator for Cell Death I am re-posting below an article from Cryonet after obtaining Steve's permission. I believe it will be of great interest in this group. Best, Olaf >Message #11641 >From: "Stephen Bogner, P.Eng." <> >Subject: Nitric Oxide confirmed as a regulator for Cell Death >Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 13:25:38 -0600 > >Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at Duke University >in collaboration with scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have >now found that nitric oxide (NO), a well-studied molecule implicated in a >host of communication pathways in and between cells, is also a switch that >controls whether cells live or die. >... >Stamler and his colleagues found that NO molecules occupy a critical site on >the enzyme caspase, a molecular "executioner" within human cells. When >occupying this site, NO effectively plugs a communication pathway that >activates caspase and triggers cell death. >"We showed that nitric oxide sits on the site and keeps the enzyme >inactive," said Stamler. "Conversely, the nitric oxide is removed in cells >programmed to die. Simply put, if you block nitric oxide production within >the cell, you make the cell more susceptible to cell death. And if you add >it back, you prevent cell death." >Apoptosis can be triggered through a biochemical chain of events known as >the Fas pathway. When activated, the Fas pathway initiates a cascade of >signals within the cell that ultimately turns on caspase. When NO occupies >the site on caspase, however, the death message is blocked. Fas somehow >manages to pop the nitric oxide off the cells that are programmed to die. >... > "We'd like to think modulation of the nitric oxide system can be used for >therapeutic gain," he said. > >The complete article can be found at: http://www.hhmi.org/news/stamler.htm > >The reason that I think that this might be of interest to cryonet is because >it may have implications for the medication protocol that might be used to >limit damage prior to or during suspension. This is not my area of >expertise - so someone knowledgeable may want to comment. > >Regards (and long life); > >Steve. Stephen Bogner, P.Eng. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=11670