Role of nitric oxide in controlling genetic regulators to maintain cellular health

Prof Syamantak Majumder, Prof Sandeep Sundriyal, and Prof Shibasish Chowdhury, researchers at BITS Pilani, reveal how nitric oxide regulates the EZH2 protein through S-nitrosylation in blood vessel cells. This discovery sheds light on vascular stability and opens new avenues for treating conditions like heart attacks and strokes

- 

When you think of gases involved in your health, oxygen probably tops the list. But there's another gas, nitric oxide, that quietly plays a crucial role in keeping your body running smoothly. Though it might sound like something from a chemistry lab, nitric oxide is made right inside your body. In fact, the discovery of this gaseous molecule led to the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998 to Dr Robert F Furchgott, Dr Louis J Ignarro, and Dr Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. However, we are still far from understanding the complex set of regulations this gaseous molecule governs, and Scientists are still uncovering how deeply it's involved in cellular health.

In our recent study published in Nature Communications (1), we explored how this tiny, simple molecule interacts with proteins inside endothelial cells, the cells that line your blood vessels. What we found opens a new window into how nitric oxide helps regulate key proteins that maintain the health and balance of your vascular system. At the heart of this discovery is a protein called EZH2, and a chemical process called S-nitrosylation.

The central player: Nitric oxide

Nitric oxide is a short-lived gas that your body naturally produces. It plays an essential role in many bodily functions—from helping your blood vessels relax and widen, to controlling how cells communicate, move, and even defend themselves.