Phosphorylation State Of ENOS Is Key To Blood Vessel Function

Main Category: Blood / Hematology
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry;  Stroke
Article Date: 12 Jun 2007 - 3:00 PDT

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The enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays a vital role in blood vessel function. In a study appearing online in advance of publication in the July print issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Paul Huang and colleagues from Massachusetts General Hospital show that modulation of the serine amino acid residue at position 1179 in eNOS, the site at which eNOS undergoes phosphorylation, affects vascular function and recovery from stroke in mice. The authors found that transgenic mice expressing a form of eNOS that could be phosphorylated developed less severe strokes and had improved cerebral blood flow in a model of stroke compared to mice expressing a form of eNOS that was not able to be phosphorylated. The data indicate that modulation of the S1179 phosphorylation site affects vasodilation and cerebral blood flow and that these effects determine outcome in a mouse model of stroke.

TITLE: The phosphorylation state of eNOS modulates vascular reactivity and outcome of cerebral ischemia in vivo

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Paul L. Huang
Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.

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JCI table of contents: June 7, 2007

Contact: Brooke Grindlinger
Journal of Clinical Investigation

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