Nitric Oxide in Biochemistry and Biology, January 29, - February 3, 1995 in Ventura, California

冬季戈登会议将于1995年1月29日至2月3日在文图拉举行，主题是生物化学和生物学中的一氧化氮。在过去的十年中，人们发现了多种人类和动物细胞氧化l -精氨酸的胍二氮形成一氧化氮（NO）的能力，并进一步证明了NO在吞噬细胞中作为细胞毒素并激活cGMP的形成，从而调节许多其他细胞的血管张力、血小板聚集和神经传递，对这种化合物的研究随之兴起。因此，NO被《科学》杂志评为1992年“年度分子”。同时观测到一氧化氮作为细菌反硝化的中间物，以及自然界氮循环中的类似事件，以及地球平流层臭氧层的侵蚀，这些都极大地增加了人们对这种气体的兴趣。这次戈登会议提供了一个机会，汇集了杰出的科学家来考虑和讨论基础化学，生物化学，与其他配体的反应能力，酶学，遗传学和分析方法的NO检测。一氧化氮（NO）是由一个氮原子和一个氧原子组成的简单气体化合物。大量摄入，它是致命的，但动物（包括人类）不断产生少量，影响四种不同类型的活动：三种是通过刺激化合物环鸟苷一磷酸的产生，这种化合物实际上调节了功能。它们是：通过放松静脉和动脉来控制血压；停止血凝块形成或溶解血凝块；并影响神经细胞的信号传递。NO直接作用于白细胞，杀死被白细胞吞噬的细菌和癌细胞。氨基酸l -精氨酸是所有这些作用的NO的来源。在自然界中，一氧化氮的产生方式不同；通常作为细菌破坏硝酸盐的中间体，常用作作物肥料。这些细菌通常会进一步作用于一氧化氮，但有些会泄漏到大气中，甚至上升并侵蚀平流层的臭氧层。植物和真菌也产生一些NO。这次戈登会议汇集了科学家，他们将展示NO的生物化学和生物学研究成果，它的形成和测量方式，以及它如何与我们称之为酶的生物催化剂，特别是那些含有铁和铜等金属的催化剂发生反应。

A Winter Gordon Conference on Nitric Oxide in Biochemistry and Biology will be held on Jan 29-Feb 3, 1995 in Ventura. CA. A great upsurge in research on the compound followed discovery during the past decade of the capacity of a variety of human and animal cells to oxidize a guanidino nitrogen of L-arginine to form nitric oxide (NO) and the further demonstration that NO acts as a cytotoxin in phagocytes and activates cGMP formation, which in turn regulates vascular tone, platelet aggregation, and neurotransmission, in many other cells. NO was thus named SCIENCE magazine s Molecule of the Year for 1992 . Simultaneous observations concerning involvement of nitric oxide as an intermediate in bacterial denitrification, and kindred events in nature s nitrogen cycle, and in erosion of the earth s stratospheric ozone layer combined to add greatly to interest in the gas. This Gordon Conference offers an opportunity to bring together outstanding scientists to consider and discuss basic chemistry, biochemistry, capacity for reaction with other ligands, enzymology, genetic, and analytic method s for NO detection. %%% Nitric oxide (NO) is a simple gas compound composed of one nitrogen and one oxygen atom. In large amounts, it is deadly, but animals (including humans) continually produce small quantities that influence four different types of activities: three by stimulating production of the compound cyclic guanosine monophosphate that actually regulates the functions. These are: controlling blood pressure by relaxing veins and arteries; stopping blood-clot formation or dissolving clots; and influencing passage of signals along nerve cells. NO acts directly in white blood cells by killing bacteria and cancer cells they engulf. The amino acid L-arginine is the source of NO for all these actions. Out in nature, NO is produced differently; usually as an intermediate in bacterial destruction of nitrate, often used as a crop fertilizer. The bacteria ordinarily act further on the NO, but some leaks out into the atmosphere, even rising up and eroding the stratospheric ozone layer. Plants and fungi also produce some NO. This Gordon Conference brings together scientists who will present results of studies of the biochemistry and biology of NO, the ways it is formed and measured, and how it reacts with the biological catalysts we call enzymes, particularly those containing metals such as iron and copper.