Nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS2) is responsible for high-output nitric oxide production important in renal inflammation and injury. Using a yeast two-hybrid assay, we identified Rac2, a Rho GTPase member, as a NOS2-interacting protein. NOS2 and Rac2 proteins coimmunoprecipitated from activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The two proteins colocalized in an intracellular compartment of these cells. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays revealed that both Rac1 and Rac2 associated with GST-NOS2 and that the NOS2 oxygenase domain was necessary and sufficient for the interaction. [(35)S]methionine-labeled NOS2 interacted directly with GST-Rac2 in the absence of GTP, calmodulin, or NOS2 substrates or cofactors. Stable overexpression of Rac2 in RAW 264.7 cells augmented LPS-induced nitrite generation (~60%) and NOS2 activity (~45%) without measurably affecting NOS2 protein abundance and led to a redistribution of NOS2 to a high-speed Triton X-100-insoluble fraction. We conclude that Rac1 and Rac2 physically interact with NOS2 in activated macrophages and that the interaction with Rac2 correlates with a posttranslational stimulation of NOS2 activity and likely its spatial redistribution within the cell.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.