Gasotransmitter Heterocellular Signaling

Significance: The family of gasotransmitter molecules, nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), has emerged as an important mediator of numerous cellular signal transduction and pathophysiological responses. As such, these molecules have been reported to influence a diverse array of biochemical, molecular, and cell biology events often impacting one another. Recent Advances: Discrete regulation of gasotransmitter molecule formation, movement, and reaction is critical to their biological function. Due to the chemical nature of these molecules, they can move rapidly throughout cells and tissues acting on targets through reactions with metal groups, reactive chemical species, and protein amino acids. Critical Issues: Given the breadth and complexity of gasotransmitter reactions, this field of research is expanding into exciting, yet sometimes confusing, areas of study with significant promise for understanding health and disease. The precise amounts of tissue and cellular...