Endothelial nitric oxide synthase and endothelial dysfunction

Nitric oxide (NO) regulates vascular tone and local blood flow, platelet aggregation and adhesion, and leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions. Abnormalities in NO production by the vascular endothelium result in endothelial dysfunction, which occurs in hypertension, diabetes, aging, and as a prelude to atherosclerosis. The common feature of endothelial dysfunction is a decrease in the amount of bioavailable NO. In this article, the physiologic roles of NO and the mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction are reviewed. Regulation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity by fatty acid modifications, intracellular localization, interactions with heat shock protein 90 (hsp90) and caveolin, substrate and cofactor dependence, and phosphorylation might all affect the level of bioavailable NO. A hypothesis is proposed that the final common pathway of diverse causes of endothelial dysfunction involves abnormalities in eNOS phosphorylation at Ser 1179 and other key phosphorylation sites.