Regional distribution and characterization of nitric oxide synthase activity in the brain of the common marmoset.

The distribution of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) within the brain of the common marmoset, a non-human primate species, was investigated using the [3H]L-citrulline formation assay and Western blot analysis. No hemispheric asymmetry of specific NOS activity was shown. The highest levels of NOS were found in the putamen and caudate nucleus--more than twice those in the cortex and the cerebellum, the brain regions with the lowest activities. The regional distribution pattern was similar to that in the ferret brain and contrasted to that in the mouse and bovine brain. Analysis of NOS catalytic activities in subcellular fractions revealed marked differences in the subcellular localization. Neuronal NOS accounted mainly for the measured catalytic activity in the brain. Differences in the regional distribution pattern of brain NOS activity among species may be indicative of diversities in the functional role of nitric oxide and NOS in mammals.