内因性一酸化窒素産生制御因子としてのメチル化アルギニンとその代謝機構 : 翻訳後修飾を受けたアミノ酸残基に由来する異常アミノ酸の生理機能

Nitric oxide is synthesized in various tissues and plays a role in wide and diverse range of physiological process such as vasodilation at cardiovascular system, inhibition of platelet aggregation, cytotoxic effect of phagocytic cells,and so on. Remarkable progress in the studies on a biological function of nitric oxide have been made by the technical use of various inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. Now the interest in the possibility, that the inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase may be the important drugs for the various diseases, is growing in the field of clinical invesigation of nitric oxide. In this review, the properties of the endogenous inhibitors, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine and NG, NG-dimethyl-L-arginine which are derived from the proteins methylated post-translationally, and their metabolic significance including the enzyme, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase as a possible regulatory system of nitric oxide function in tissues.