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References & Sources

January 23, 1999

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A bug's kiss has chemistry in humans

A protein in the saliva of a blood-sucking insect uses nitric oxide in a unique way to open up blood vessels and prevent clotting.

References:

Ding, X.D. . . . and F.A. Walker. 1999. Nitric oxide binding to the ferri- and ferroheme states of nitrophorin 1, a reversible NO-binding heme protein from the saliva of the blood sucking insect, Rhodnius prolixus. Journal of the American Chemical Society 121(Jan. 13):128.

Further Readings:

Adler, T. 1995. The danger of Chaga's disease. Science News 147(Feb. 11):93.

Fackelmann, K.A. 1997. Gas therapy for sickle-cell anemia. Science News 152(Sept. 20):188.

______. 1997. Paleopathological puzzles. Science News 152(Aug. 30):136.

Mlot, C. 1997. Insect-borne disease: Curing the carrier. Science News 151(April 12):223.

Sternberg, S. 1996. Is NO a good cop or bad actor in malaria? Science News 150(Aug. 24):118.

______. 1996. Hemoglobin molecule's secret revealed. Science News 149(March 23):180.

Travis, J. 1998. Medical Nobel prize says yes to NO. Science News 154(Oct. 17):246.

Valenzuela, J.G., and J.M.C. Ribeiro. 1998. Purification and cloning of the salivary nitrophorin from the hemipteran Cimex lectularius. Journal of Experimental Biology 201:2659.

Weichsel, A., et al. 1998. Crystal structures of a nitric oxide transport protein from a blood-sucking insect. Nature Structural Biology 5(April):304.

Additional information about entomological research can be found at http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/profiles/montfort.htm and at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/labs/lpd12.htm.

Sources:

Donald E. Champagne
University of Georgia
Department of Entomology
Athens, GA 30602
Web site: http://entomology.ent.uga.edu/faculty/champagne.htm

F. Ann Walker
University of Arizona
Department of Chemistry
Tucson, AZ 85721
Web site: http://www.chem.arizona.edu/faculty/walk/walker.html

From Science News, Vol. 155, No. 4, January 23, 1999, p. 54. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.


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