Role of nitric oxide in subventricular zone neurogenesis

A possible role of nitric oxide (NO) in adult neurogenesis has been suggested based on anatomical findings showing that subventricular zone (SVZ) neuroblasts are located close to NO-producing cells, and on the known antiproliferative actions of NO in many cell types. Experiments have been performed in rodents with systemic and intracerebroventricular administrations of the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME. NOS inhibition leads to significant increases in the number of proliferating cells in the SVZ and olfactory bulb (OB). NO exerts its cytostatic action preferentially on the cell population expressing nestin but not betaIII-tubulin, which may correspond to the type C cells described in the SVZ. The negative effect of NO on SVZ cell proliferation has also been confirmed in SVZ primary cultures. An inhibition of the tyrosine kinase activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is described as one of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the antiproliferative effect of NO in SVZ cells. Biochemical data supporting this conclusion has been obtained using the neuroblastoma cell line NB69, which endogenously expresses the EGFR. In these cells, the antimitotic action of NO occurs upon inhibition of the EGFR tyrosine phosphorylation, probably by a direct S-nitrosylation of the receptor. The latest published reports on NO and neurogenesis indicate that NO physiologically participates in the control of adult neurogenesis by modulating the proliferation and fate of the SVZ progenitor cells. These effects might be partially due to a direct inhibition of the EGFR by S-nitrosylation.