Estradiol induces physical association of neuronal nitric oxide synthase with NMDA receptor and promotes nitric oxide formation via estrogen receptor activation in primary neuronal cultures.

ABSTRACT: Estrogens and nitric oxide (NO) exert wide-ranging effects on brain function. Recent evidence suggested that one important mechanism for the regulation of NO production may reside in the differential coupling of the calcium-activated neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) to glutamate NMDA receptor channels harboring NR2B subunits by the scaffolding protein post-synaptic density-95 (PSD-95), and that estrogens promote the formation of this ternary complex. Here, we demonstrate that 30-min estradiol-treatment triggers the production of NO by physically and functionally coupling NMDA receptors to nNOS in primary neurons of the rat preoptic region in vitro. The ability of estradiol to activate neuronal NO signaling in preoptic neurons and to promote changes in protein-protein interactions is blocked by

SUBMITTER: d'Anglemont de Tassigny X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2743827 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature