Shepherd, M., Giordano, D., Verde, C. et al. (1 more author) (2022) The evolution of nitric oxide function: from reactivity in the prebiotic earth to examples of biological roles and therapeutic applications. Antioxidants, 11 (7). 1222. ISSN 2076-3921
Abstract
Nitric oxide was once considered to be of marginal interest to the biological sciences and medicine; however, there is now wide recognition, but not yet a comprehensive understanding, of its functions and effects. NO is a reactive, toxic free radical with numerous biological targets, especially metal ions. However, NO and its reaction products also play key roles as reductant and oxidant in biological redox processes, in signal transduction, immunity and infection, as well as other roles. Consequently, it can be sensed, metabolized and modified in biological systems. Here, we present a brief overview of the chemistry and biology of NO—in particular, its origins in geological time and in contemporary biology, its toxic consequences and its critical biological functions. Given that NO, with its intrinsic reactivity, appeared in the early Earth’s atmosphere before the evolution of complex lifeforms, we speculate that the potential for toxicity preceded biological function. To examine this hypothesis, we consider the nature of non-biological and biological targets of NO, the evolution of biological mechanisms for NO detoxification, and how living organisms generate this multifunctional gas.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | evolution; cell signalling; toxicity; origin of life |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL BB/M022579/1 ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL EP/N011511/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 02 Sep 2022 19:20 |
Last Modified: | 10 Feb 2023 14:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI AG |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/antiox11071222 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:190432 |