Role of local production of endothelium-derived nitric oxide on cGMP signaling and S-nitrosylation.

Nitric oxide (NO), synthesized by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), exerts control over vascular function via two distinct mechanisms, the activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC)/cGMP-dependent signaling or through S-nitrosylation of proteins with reactive thiols (S-nitrosylation). Previous studies in cultured endothelial cells revealed that eNOS targeted to the plasma membrane (PM) releases greater amounts of NO compared with Golgi tethered eNOS. However, the significance of eNOS localization to sGC-dependent or -independent signaling is not known. Here we show that PM-targeted eNOS, when expressed in human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) and isolated blood vessels, increases sGC/cGMP signaling to a greater extent than Golgi-localized eNOS. The ability of local NO production to influence sGC-independent mechanisms was also tested by monitoring the secretion of Von Willebrand factor (vWF), which is tonically inhibited by the S-nitrosylation of N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF). In eNOS "knockdown" HAECs, vWF secretion was attenuated to a greater degree by PM eNOS compared with a Golgi-restricted eNOS. Moreover, the PM-targeted eNOS induced greater S-nitrosylation of NSF vs. Golgi eNOS. To distinguish between the amount of NO generated and the intracellular location of synthesis, we expressed Golgi and PM-targeted calcium-insensitive forms of eNOS in HAEC. These constructs, which generate equal amounts of NO regardless of location, produced equivalent increases in cGMP in bioassays and equal inhibition of vWF secretion. We conclude that the greater functional effects of PM eNOS are due to the increased amount of NO produced rather than effects derived from the local synthesis of NO.

Peripheral circadian clock rhythmicity is retained in the absence of adrenergic signaling.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of heart attack and stroke undergo diurnal variation. Molecular clocks have been described in the heart and the vasculature; however it is largely unknown how the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) entrains these peripheral oscillators. METHODS AND RESULTS: Norepinephrine and epinephrine, added to aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) in vitro, altered Per1, E4bp4, and dbp expression and altered the observed oscillations in clock gene expression. However, oscillations of Per1, E4bp4, dbp, and Per2 were preserved ex vivo in the aorta, heart, and liver harvested from dopamine beta-hydroxylase knockout mice (Dbh-/-) that cannot synthesize either norepinephrine or epinephrine. Furthermore, clock gene oscillations in heart, liver, and white adipose tissue phase shifted identically in Dbh-/- mice and in Dbh+/- controls in response to daytime restriction of feeding. Oscillation of clock genes was similarly preserved ex vivo in tissues from Dbh+/- and Dbh-/- chronically treated with both propranolol and terazosin, thus excluding compensation by dopamine in Dbh-/- mice. CONCLUSIONS: Although adrenergic signaling can influence circadian timing in vitro, peripheral circadian rhythmicity is retained despite its ablation in vivo.

A functional genomics strategy reveals Rora as a component of the mammalian circadian clock.

The mammalian circadian clock plays an integral role in timing rhythmic physiology and behavior, such as locomotor activity, with anticipated daily environmental changes. The master oscillator resides within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which can maintain circadian rhythms in the absence of synchronizing light input. Here, we describe a genomics-based approach to identify circadian activators of Bmal1, itself a key transcriptional activator that is necessary for core oscillator function. Using cell-based functional assays, as well as behavioral and molecular analyses, we identified Rora as an activator of Bmal1 transcription within the SCN. Rora is required for normal Bmal1 expression and consolidation of daily locomotor activity and is regulated by the core clock in the SCN. These results suggest that opposing activities of the orphan nuclear receptors Rora and Rev-erb alpha, which represses Bmal1 expression, are important in the maintenance of circadian clock function.