IDENTIFICATION OF NITRIC OXIDE RELATED PROTEIN EXPRESSED IN TRANSACTIVATED ITO CELLS

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Ito cells have a key role in regulating hepatic sinusoidal blood flow, because they contract in response to endothelin-1 and produce nitric oxide to dilate sinusoids. Progress in purification of Ito cells enabled us to obtain highly-purified cells and we investigate this process precisely through arginine transport and nitric oxide production in Ito cells. In this study, we developed monoclonal antibody for purifying protein transiently expressed in transformed Ito cells during the process of iNOS mediated nitric oxide production and partial amino acid sequence revealed it as unknown proteins. We need further investigation to recognize the role of these proteins in Ito cells during iNOS induction.Development of liver fibrosis is a life-threatening complications in chronic liver diseases. Oral administration of arginine, the substrate of nitric oxide, may be a promising way of an increase in sinusoidal blood flow in chronic liver diseases. A new insight into the iNOS related proteins expressed in Ito cells may provide an important information for improving hepatic blood flow.