Cellular microdomains for nitric oxide signaling in endothelium and red blood cells

Publication date: Available online 3 January 2020Source: Nitric OxideAuthor(s): Francesca Leo, Beate Hutzler, Claire A. Ruddiman, Brant E. Isakson, Miriam M. Cortese-KrottAbstractThere is accumulating evidence that biological membranes are not just homogenous lipid structures, but are highly organized in microdomains, i.e. compartmentalized areas of protein and lipid complexes, which facilitate necessary interactions for various signaling pathways. Each microdomain exhibits unique composition, membrane location, and dynamics that ultimately shape their functional characteristics. In the vasculature, microdomains are crucial for organizing and compartmentalizing vasodilatory signals, which contribute to blood pressure homeostasis. In this review, we aim to describe how membrane microdomains in both the endothelium and red blood cells allow context-specific regulation of the vasodilatory signal nitric oxide (NO) and its corresponding metabolic products, and how this results in tightly controlled systemic physiological responses. We will describe (1) structural characteristics of microdomains including lipid rafts and caveolae; (2) endothelial cell caveolae and how they participate in mechanosensing and NO-dependent mechanotransduction, (3) the myoendothelial junction of resistance arterial endothelial cells and how protein-protein interactions within it have profound systemic effects on blood pressure regulation, and (4) putative/proposed NO microdomains in RBCs and how they pa...

Source: Nitric Oxide - January 5, 2020 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research