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50 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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NOS2
nitric oxide synthase 2
Chromosome 17 · 17q11.2
NCBI Gene: 4843Ensembl: ENSG00000007171.20HGNC: HGNC:7873UniProt: P35228
843PubMed Papers
20Diseases
4Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
RESEARCH IMPACT
Highly Studied
CLINICAL
Clinical Trials
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
nitric oxide biosynthetic processperoxisomeprotein bindingFc-gamma receptor signaling pathway involved in phagocytosispsoriasispsoriasis vulgarispsoriatic arthritistype 2 diabetes mellitus
✦AI Summary

NOS2 (nitric oxide synthase 2) is an inducible enzyme that catalyzes nitric oxide (NO) production, functioning as a critical immunomodulator with pleiotropic effects. In macrophages, NOS2-derived NO mediates tumoricidal and bactericidal actions 1234. Beyond NO synthesis, NOS2 possesses nitrosylase activity, mediating cysteine S-nitrosylation of cytoplasmic proteins including PTGS2/COX2 and components of the GAIT complex 5. NOS2 bridges inflammatory responses and metabolic pathways, with LACC1 serving as a functional bridge between NOS2 and polyamine metabolism in inflammatory macrophages 6. NOS2 expression enhances pro-inflammatory mediator synthesis including IL-6 and IL-8 7. In disease contexts, NOS2 exhibits dichotomous roles: in tumors, proinflammatory macrophage-derived NOS2 can initiate tumor cell apoptosis through p53 accumulation, though tumor microenvironment hypoxia attenuates this cytotoxic activity 8. NOS2 is overexpressed in aggressive ovarian and prostate cancers, promoting angiogenesis and proliferation while potentially sensitizing tumors to chemotherapy 9. In glioblastoma, NOS2 inhibition reduces proliferation, migration, and neurosphere generation 10. NOS2 deficiency increases susceptibility to central nervous system tuberculosis, highlighting its protective antimicrobial role 11. Clinically, NOS2 expression distinguishes psoriasis from eczema diagnosis 12, suggesting biomarker potential in inflammatory skin diseases.

Sources cited
1
NOS2 produces nitric oxide, a messenger molecule with diverse functions
PMID: 7504305
2
NOS2 produces nitric oxide, a messenger molecule with diverse functions
PMID: 7531687
3
NOS2 produces nitric oxide, a messenger molecule with diverse functions
PMID: 7544004
4
NOS2 produces nitric oxide, a messenger molecule with diverse functions
PMID: 7682706
5
NOS2 has nitrosylase activity and mediates S-nitrosylation of PTGS2/COX2 and GAIT complex components
PMID: 25417112
6
NOS2 enhances synthesis of pro-inflammatory mediators IL-6 and IL-8
PMID: 19688109
7
LACC1 bridges NOS2 and polyamine metabolism in inflammatory macrophages
PMID: 35978195
8
Macrophage NOS2 produces NO that initiates tumor cell apoptosis but is attenuated by tumor microenvironment hypoxia
PMID: 27397579
9
NOS2 overexpression in ovarian and prostate cancers increases angiogenesis, proliferation, and correlates with aggressive tumors
PMID: 28326819
10
NOS2 inhibition reduces glioma cell proliferation, migration, and neurosphere generation
PMID: 30227679
11
NOS2 deficiency increases susceptibility to central nervous system tuberculosis
PMID: 35073927
12
NOS2 expression distinguishes psoriasis from eczema diagnosis
PMID: 25539641
Disease Associationsⓘ20
psoriasisOpen Targets
0.52Moderate
psoriasis vulgarisOpen Targets
0.46Moderate
psoriatic arthritisOpen Targets
0.43Moderate
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.39Weak
atrophic gastritisOpen Targets
0.31Weak
skin diseaseOpen Targets
0.30Weak
myocardial infarctionOpen Targets
0.28Weak
ankylosing spondylitisOpen Targets
0.26Weak
ShockOpen Targets
0.26Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
infectionOpen Targets
0.11Weak
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.11Weak
mature T-cell and NK-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
diffuse large B-cell lymphomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
Pallister-Hall syndromeOpen Targets
0.10Weak
ulcerative colitisOpen Targets
0.10Weak
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.10Weak
experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitisOpen Targets
0.10Weak
migraine disorderOpen Targets
0.10Weak
asthmaOpen Targets
0.10Weak
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Drug Targets4
GW-274150Phase II
Nitric oxide synthase, inducible inhibitor
asthma
KD7040Phase II
Nitric oxide synthase, inducible inhibitor
Pain
TILARGININEPhase II
Nitric oxide synthase inhibitor
sickle cell disease
TILARGININE ACETATEPhase III
Nitric oxide synthase inhibitor
myocardial infarction
Related Genes
CALM1Protein interaction100%CALM3Protein interaction100%CALML3Protein interaction100%CALML4Protein interaction100%CALML5Protein interaction100%CALML6Protein interaction100%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Lung
84%
Heart
63%
Ovary
55%
Liver
10%
Bone Marrow
2%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
NOS2CALM1CALM3CALML3CALML4CALML5CALML6
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB6JWM · 1.23 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.86LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.72 [0.61–0.86]
RankingsWhere NOS2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #218of 20,598
    Most Researched843 · top 5%
  • #7,497of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.86
Genes detectedNOS2
Sources retrieved50 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
50▼
1
LACC1 bridges NOS2 and polyamine metabolism in inflammatory macrophages.
PMID: 35978195
Nature · 2022
1.00
2
Characterization of NO and cytokine production in immune-activated microglia and peritoneal macrophages derived from a mouse model expressing the human NOS2 gene on a mouse NOS2 knockout background.
PMID: 16771679
Antioxid Redox Signal · 2006
0.94
3
NOS2 as an Emergent Player in Progression of Cancer.
PMID: 28506076
Antioxid Redox Signal · 2017
0.92
4
NOS2 and CCL27: clinical implications for psoriasis and eczema diagnosis and management.
PMID: 25539641
Expert Rev Clin Immunol · 2015
0.90
5
NOS2 and
PMID: 35584114
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 2022
0.86