Interaction of neuronal nitric-oxide synthase with alpha1-syntrophin in rat brain

Neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (nNOS) has a PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1 (PDZ) domain that can interact with multiple proteins. nNOS has been known to interact with PSD-95 and a related protein, PSD-93, in brain and with alpha1-syntrophin in skeletal muscle in mammals. In this study, we have purified an nNOS-interacting protein from bovine brain using an affinity column made of Sepharose conjugated with glutathione S-transferase-rat nNOS fusion protein and identified it as alpha1-syntrophin by microsequencing. Immunostaining of primary cultures of rat embryonic brain neuronal cells with antibodies against these proteins showed that nNOS and alpha1-syntrophin were colocalized in neuronal cell bodies and neurites. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that the nNOS- and alpha1-syntrophin-like immunoreactive substances were highly expressed in the rat hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and paraventricular nucleus. In the SCN, nNOS- and alpha1-syntrophin-like immunoreactive substances were colocalized in the same neurons as detected by confocal microscopy. These results indicate that nNOS in brain interacts with alpha1-syntrophin in specific neurons of the SCN and paraventricular nucleus and that this interaction might play a physiological role in functions of these neurons.