Constitutive endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) gene expression in human monocytes

This study evaluates using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular biological approach to study the gene expression of the constitutive endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) in human monocytes. When PCR was carried out with specific primers for ecNOS, 302 bp product was amplified, which sequence analysis determined as having 100% identity to the reported human ecNOS isoform gene sequence. The data presented here demonstrate a reliable technique for assessing ecNOS mRNA levels in circulating human monocytes. This then permits use of this easily available cell to monitor ecNOS levels and provides a means to investigate mechanisms involved in controlling NO synthase levels as well as NO synthesis.