Nitric oxide, recently named"Molecule of the Year"by the journal Science, impinges on a wide range of fields in biological research, particularly in the areas of biomedicine and cell and organismal biology, as well as in fundamental chemistry. This volume and its companion Volume 269 highlight the most current and up-to-date methods used to research the physiology and toxicity of nitric oxide in cellular and organismal systems. It will be a valuable resourcefor the experienced researcher as well as for those newly entering the field.

Table of Contents:
Generation, Detection, and Characterization of Biological and Chemical Sources of Nitric Oxide: Nitric Oxide Chemistry and Biology: W.H. Koppenol and J.G. Traynham, Say NO for Nitric Oxide: Nomenclature forNitrogen- and Oxygen-Containing Compounds. W.H. Koppenol, Thermodynamics of Reactions Involving Nitrogen–Oxygen Compounds. D.A. Wink, M.B. Grisham, J.B. Mitchell, and P.C. Ford, Direct and Indirect Effects of Nitric Oxide in Chemical Reactions Relevant to Biology. J.R. Lancaster, Jr., Diffusion of Free Nitric Oxide. F.T. Bonner, Nitric Oxide Gas. Methods for Detection of Nitric Oxide: T. Malinski, S. Mesaros, and P. Tomboulian, Nitric Oxide Measurement Using Electrochemical Methods. D. Christodoulou, S. Kudo, J.A. Cook, M.C. Krishna, A. Miles, M.B. Grisham, R. Murugesan, P.C. Ford, and D.A. Wink, Electrochemical Methods for Detection of Nitric Oxide. J.F. Brien, B.E. McLaughlin, K. Nakatsu, and G.S. Marks, Chemiluminescence Headspace–Gas Analysis for Determination of Nitric Oxide Formation in Biological Systems. R.W. Nims, J.C. Cook, M.C. Krishna, D. Christodoulou, C.M.B. Poore, A.M. Miles, M.B. Grisham, and D.A. Wink, Colorimetric Assaysfor Nitric Oxide and Nitrogen Oxide Species Formed from Nitric Oxide Stock Solutions and Donor Compounds. A.M. Miles, D.A. Wink, J.C. Cook, and M.B. Grisham, Determination of Nitric Oxide Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy. D.A. Wink, M.B. Grisham,A.M. Miles, R.W. Nims, M.C. Krishna, R. Pacelli, D. Teague, C.M.B. Poore, J.A. Cook, and P.C. Ford, Determination of Selectivity of Reactive Nitrogen Oxide Species for Various Substrates. J.S. Wishnok, J.A. Glogowski, and S.R. Tannenbaum, Quantitation of Nitrate, Nitrite, and Nitrosating Agents. D.L. Granger, R.R. Taintor, K.S. Boockvar, and J.B. Hibbs, Jr., Measurement of Nitrate and Nitrite in Biological Samples Using Nitrate Reductase and Griess Reaction. I. Yokoi, H. Habu, H. Kabuto, and A. Mori, Analysis of Nitrite, Nitrate, and Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity in Brain Tissue by Automated Flow Injection Technique. S.S. Gross, Microtiter Plate Assay for Determining Kinetics of Nitric Oxide Synthesis. B. Kalyanaraman, Detection of Nitric Oxide by Electron Spin Resonance in Chemical, Photochemical, Cellular, and Physiological Systems. D. Hall and G. Buettner, In Vivo Spin Trapping of Nitric Oxide by Heme: Electron Paramagnetic Detection ex Vivo. A.N. Osipov, N.V. Gorbunov, B.W. Day, N.M. Elsayed, and V.E. Kagan, Electron Spin Resonance and Mass Spectral Analysis of Interactions of Ferrylhemoglobin and Ferrylmyoglobin with Nitric Oxide. K. Ichimori, C.M. Arroyo, and H. Nakazawa, Electron Spin Resonancesfor Spin Trapping of 3,5-Dibromo-4-nitrosobenzene Sulfonate. T. Akaike and H. Maeda, Quantitation of Nitric Oxide Using 2-Phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-Oxide and Its Derivatives in Biological Systems. Y. Kotake, Continuous andQuantitative Monitoring of Rate of Cellular Nitric Oxide Generation. A. Kozlov, A. Bini, A. Iannone, I. Zini, and A. Tomasi, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Characterization of Rat Neuronal Nitric Oxide Production ex Vivo. M.B. Grisham, G.G. Johnson, and J.R. Lancaster, Jr., Quantitation of Nitrate and Nitrite in Extracellular Fluids. R.S. Lewis and W.M. Deen, Stirred Reactor with Continuous Nitric Oxide Sampling for Use in Kinetic Studies. Nitric Oxide Donors: Nitric Oxide Deactivation and Nitric Oxide Gas: N.S. Kishnani and H.-L. Fung, Nitric Oxide Generation from Pharmacologic NO Donors. N. Bettache, T.D. Carter, J.E.T. Corrie, D. Ogden, and D.R. Trentham, Photolabile Donors of Nitric Oxide: Ruthenium Nitrosyl Chlorides as Caged Nitric Oxide. L.K. Keefer, R.W. Nims, K.M. Davies, and D.A. Wink, NONOates, 1-Substituted Diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolates, as Nitric Oxide Donors: Convenient Nitric Oxide Dosage Forms. G.N. Welch, G.R. Upchurch, Jr., and J. Loscalzo, S-Nitrosothiol Detection. D.L.H. Williams, S-Nitrosothiols and Role of Metal Ions in Decomposition to Nitric Oxide. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Enzymes and Proteins Associated with Nitric Oxide Metabolism: Nitric Oxide Synthase: Reduction Mechanism, Purification, and Activity Assays: Q. Liu and S.S. Gross, Binding Sites of Nitric Oxide Synthases. D.J. Stuehr, Purification and Properties of Nitric Oxide Synthases. U. Firstermann and I. Gath, Purification of Isoforms of Nitric Oxide Synthase. E.P. Garvey, E.S. Furfine, and P.A. Sherman, Purification and Inhibitor Screening of Human Nitric Oxide Synthase Isozymes. T.M. Dawson and V.L. Dawson, Generation of Isoform-Specific Antibodies to Nitric Oxide Synthases. P. Klatt, K. Schmidt, E.R. Werner, and B. Mayer, Determination of Nitric Oxide Synthase Cofactors: Heme, FAD, FMN, and Tetrahydrobiopterin. Inhibitors of Nitric Oxide Synthase Isozymes: J.M. Fukuto, Chemistry of N-Hydroxy-L-arginine. O.W. Griffith and R.G. Kilbourn, Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors: Amino Acids. P.K. Moore and P.A. Bland-Ward, 7-Nitroindazole: An Inhibitor of Nitric Oxide Synthase. J.A. Corbett and M.L. McDaniel, Selective Inhibition of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase by Aminoguanidine. Induction of Nitric Oxide Synthase: C.-C. Wu and C. Theimermann, Biological Control and Inhibition of Induction of Nitric Oxide Synthase. B. Mayer, P. Klatt, B.M. List, C. Harteneck, and K. Schmidt, Large-Scale Purification of Rat Brain Nitric Oxide Synthase from Baculovirus Overexpression System. Molecular Cloning and Expression: H. Xia and D.S. Bredt, Cloned and Expressed Nitric Oxide Synthase Proteins. L.J. Robinson, P. Ghanouni, and T. Michel, Posttranslational Modifications of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase. I.G. Charles, C.A. Scorer, M.A. Moro, C. Fernandez, A. Chubb, J. Dawson, N. Foxwell, R.G. Knowles, and S.A. Baylis, Expression of HumanNitric Oxide Synthase Isozymes. Nitric Oxide Synthase and Hemoprotein Homology: K. McMillan, J.C. Salerno, and B.S.S. Masters, Nitric Oxide Synthases: Analogies to Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases and Characterization of Recombinant Rat Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Hemoprotein. M.D. Maines, Carbon Monoxide and Nitric Oxide Homology: Differential Modulation of Heme Oxygenases in Brain and Detection of Protein and Activity. Tissue Distribution of Nitric Oxide Synthase: D.S.Chao, P.M. Huang, F. Huang, and D.S. Bredt, Localization of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase. M.N. Wallace, NADPH Diaphorase Activity in Activated Astrocytes Representing Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase. E.F. Sato, K. Utsumi, and M. Inoue, Human Oral Neutrophils: Isolation and Characterization. U. Firstermann and N.J. Dun, Immunohistochemical Localization of Nitric Oxide Synthases. Author Index. Subject Index.