Investigating the effect of genetic variation on inducible nitric oxide synthase enzymatic activity
Abstract
Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, NOS2/Nos2) is an enzyme that produces nitric oxide (NO) for antimicrobial immunity. NO production is a “balancing act;” Sufficient NO is required for immunity, while excess NO reduces long-term cell survival. Our group previously observed that the immune cells of in-bred B6 laboratory mice produce significantly more NO than that of wild-derived PWD mice and located seven amino acids differing between these iNOS variants. Six polymorphisms are conserved between the PWD-iNOS and human-iNOS sequences. This current study aims to investigate the effect of genetic variation on determining the functional capacities of these iNOS variants.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Lizzy Pope
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Biology
Primary Research Category
Life Sciences
Investigating the effect of genetic variation on inducible nitric oxide synthase enzymatic activity
Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, NOS2/Nos2) is an enzyme that produces nitric oxide (NO) for antimicrobial immunity. NO production is a “balancing act;” Sufficient NO is required for immunity, while excess NO reduces long-term cell survival. Our group previously observed that the immune cells of in-bred B6 laboratory mice produce significantly more NO than that of wild-derived PWD mice and located seven amino acids differing between these iNOS variants. Six polymorphisms are conserved between the PWD-iNOS and human-iNOS sequences. This current study aims to investigate the effect of genetic variation on determining the functional capacities of these iNOS variants.
