D.S. Bredt, P.M. Hwang, S.H. Snyder, "Localization of nitric oxide synthase indicating a neural role for nitric oxide," Nature, 347:768-70, 1990.
Solomon Snyder (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore): "Nitric oxide appears to be responsible for the ability of macrophages to kill tumor cells and bacteria and makes it possible for substances such as acetylcholine to cause blood vessels to dilate. Acetylcholine, acting at receptors on endothelial cells, triggers the formation of nitric oxide, which diffuses to the adjacent smooth muscle cells to stimulate guanylyl cyclase, with the increased formation of cyclic GMP in turn eliciting muscle relaxation.
"The extraordinary properties of nitric oxide in these systems prompted us to seek a biological role for this inorganic compound in the brain. Since nitric oxide itself is extraordinarily labile and not readily localized, we decided to localize its biosynthetic enzyme. We had previously purified the enzyme protein to homogeneity. This ...
