Nitric oxide synthesis and action in an invertebrate brain.

Nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized in mammalian neurons by Ca2+/calmodulin activated NO synthase and functions as a signalling molecule by activating soluble guanylyl cyclases in target cells. We demonstrate here that both NO synthase and NO-activated guanylyl cyclase are present in the brain of the locust Schistocerca gregaria. Our observations indicate, for the first time, that the NO-cyclic GMP signalling pathway exists in invertebrate nervous systems.