Complex coordinated extracellular metabolism: Acid phosphatases activate diluted human leukocyte proteins to generate energy flow as NADPH from purine nucleotide ribose.

Complex metabolism is thought to occur exclusively in the crowded intracellular environment. Here we report that diluted enzymes from lysed human leukocytes produce extracellular energy. Our findings involve two pathways: the purine nucleotide catabolic pathway and the pentose phosphate pathway, which function together to generate energy as NADPH.

Infection and nitric oxide.

The author describes how his experience as an infectious disease fellow at Stanford University with Jack Remington from 1969 to 1971 influenced the direction of his subsequent laboratory investigation. The author reviews a series of studies that were intended to provide a mechanistic understanding of an in vitro cytotoxicity assay developed while he was a fellow with Jack Remington. These investigations resulted in the 1987 discovery of the synthesis of nitric oxide from L-arginine by cytokine-activated macrophages.