Biological Chemistry of Reactive Nitrogen Species Signaling in Cancer Etiology

描述（由申请人提供）：一氧化氮（NO）是自然界中最小的分子之一，最近发现在一系列显著的生理和病理生理现象中发挥重要作用。尽管事实上它是非常小的，作为细胞分子，它的作用是多种多样的，还没有很好地理解。在许多情况下，它的行动是“两面派”，采取有害或有益的行动。是什么控制了这种矛盾的行为尚不清楚。我们建议研究NO的一个重要作用，作为一个信使分子，启动信号级联反应，导致细胞的适当反应。已经提出NO影响多种信号传导机制，并且我们选择研究NO在肿瘤发展中的作用。众所周知，NO具有促癌和抗癌作用。我们将应用一种新的理论方法来解决这个问题，它可以做出具体和可检验的预测。我们的研究将从简单小分子的试管化学到分离的信号蛋白，再到这些蛋白在细胞中的激活，最后是NO信号在动物肿瘤模型中的重要性。我们希望开发一种生物化学“路线图”，其可以导航特定治疗方式的设计，以允许智能操纵体内主要化学条件和/或蛋白质反应，并实现“促癌”生物作用向“抗癌”的重定向。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the smallest molecules in Nature and has recently been discovered to play important roles in a remarkable array of physiological and pathophysiological phenomena. In spite of the fact that it is extremely small, as cellular molecules go, its actions are multiple and not well understood. In many cases, its actions are "Janus-faced", performing either harmful or helpful actions. What controls this contradictory behavior is unknown. We propose to study one important role of NO, as a messenger molecule that initiates signaling cascades resulting in appropriate responses of the cell. NO has been proposed to effect a variety of signaling mechanisms, and we have chosen to examine the roles of NO in tumor development. NO is well- known to possess pro-cancerous and also anti-cancerous actions. We will apply a new theoretical approach to this problem, which makes specific and testable predictions. Our studies will range from test-tube chemistry of simple small molecules to isolated signaling proteins to the activation of these proteins in cells and finally the importance of NO signaling in an animal tumor model. We hope to develop a biochemical "road map" that could navigate design of specific therapeutic modalities to allow intelligent manipulation of prevailing in vivo chemical conditions and/or protein responses and effect redirection of the "pro-cancerous" biological actions toward the "anti- cancerous".