Nitric oxide and S-nitrosothiols modulate a variety of important physiological activities. In vascular cells, agents that release NO and donate nitrosonium cation (NO(+)), such as S-nitrosoglutathione, are potent inducers of the antioxidant protein heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) (Foresti, R., Clark, J. E., Green, C. J., and Motterlini, R. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 18411-18417; Motterlini, R., Foresti...

The single nucleotide polymorphism rs2071746 and a (GT)n microsatellite within the human gene encoding heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1) are associated with incidence or outcome in a variety of diseases. Most of these associations involve either release of heme or oxidative stress. Both polymorphisms are localized in the promoter region, but previously reported correlations with heme oxygenase-1 express...

Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is a heart disease characterized by the progressive fibro-calcific remodeling of valves, an actively regulated process with involvement reactive oxygen species-mediated differentiation valvular interstitial cells (VICs) into osteoblast-like cells. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related 2 (Nrf2) regulates expression variety antioxidant genes, and plays protectiv...

We have developed an improved assay for microsomal heme oxygenase activity, based on the enzymic release of CO from the alpha-methene bridge of hemin and the quantitation of CO by gas chromatography. The within-run coefficient of variation (CV) of heme oxygenase assays in microsomes from rat tissues (liver, kidney) averaged 8%; the between-run CV averaged 15%. The detection limit for heme oxyge...

We tested the hypothesis that the status of NO synthesis influences the renal heme-heme oxygenase system. Studies were conducted in untreated rats and rats treated with the NO synthesis inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester for 2 days. Treated and untreated rats were contrasted in terms of renal expression of heme oxygenase-1 and -2, renal carbon monoxide (CO)-generating activity, and ur...