Regulation between nitric oxide and MAPK signal transduction in mammals

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important biological messenger in the regulation of tissue horneostasis. It exhibits a wide range of effects during physiological and pat hophysiological processes. Typical beneficial properties of NO include the regulation of vascular tone, the protection of cells against apoptosis, the modulation of immune responses, and the killing of microbial pathogens. On the other hand, NO may cause severe vasodilation and myocardial depression during bacterial sepsis or act as a cytotoxic and tissue-damaging molecule in autoimmune diseases. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a family of serine/threonine protein kinases that are widely distributed in mammalian cells. MAPK cascade plays pivotal roles in gene expression, cell proliferation, differentiation, neuronal survival and programmed cell death under a variety of experimental conditions. MAPKs transduce the signal for the cellular response to extracellular stresses or stimuli. The relation between them, however, has never been reviewed. Based on our researches and other reports in the field, we review their reciprocal regulatory functions.