Document Detail


Nitric oxide modulation of the electrically excitable skin of Xenopus laevis frog tadpoles.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  17981858     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly diffusible signalling molecule with widespread effects on the integrative electrical properties of a variety of neuronal and muscle cells. We have explored the effects of NO on the cardiac-like impulse generated by skin cells of the hatchling Xenopus tadpole. Skin cell impulses propagate from cell to cell via gap junctions and form an unusual sensory system, which triggers escape behaviour at early stages of amphibian development. We show that the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) increases the duration of the skin impulse and slows the rate of impulse propagation across the skin, and also produces a significant depolarization of the membrane potential of skin cells. Each of these effects of SNAP is significantly reversed by the NO scavenger, C-PTIO. Possible sources of NO have been investigated using both NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry and nNOS immunocytochemistry to label the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and DAF-2 to label NO itself. In each case a punctate distribution of skin cells is labelled, indicating that the endogenous production of NO may regulate the properties of the skin impulse.
Authors:
Michael H Alpert; Hongyan Zhang; Micol Molinari; William J Heitler; Keith T Sillar
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Journal of experimental biology     Volume:  210     ISSN:  0022-0949     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Exp. Biol.     Publication Date:  2007 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2007-11-05     Completed Date:  2008-03-25     Revised Date:  2008-11-21    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0243705     Medline TA:  J Exp Biol     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  3910-8     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TS, UK.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Electrophysiology*
Free Radical Scavengers / pharmacology
Larva / drug effects,  enzymology,  physiology
Nitric Oxide / biosynthesis,  metabolism*
Nitric Oxide Donors / pharmacology
Nitric Oxide Synthase / metabolism
S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine / pharmacology
Skin / cytology,  drug effects,  enzymology,  metabolism*
Skin Physiological Phenomena* / drug effects
Xenopus laevis / growth & development,  metabolism,  physiology*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Free Radical Scavengers; 0/Nitric Oxide Donors; 10102-43-9/Nitric Oxide; 79032-48-7/S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; EC 1.14.13.39/Nitric Oxide Synthase

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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