Chapter 1:Overview of Gasotransmitters and the Related Signaling Network

The first gasotransmitter, NO, was discovered in 1977. Twenty-five years later, the gasotransmitter family was conceptualized. It took another 15 years for the expansion of the gasotransmitter family to include NO, CO, H2S, and NH3. What are gasotransmitters? Why should we use this specific nomenclature? Why are gasotransmitters important in our body? These interesting questions are answered in detail in this chapter. Further discussions are elaborated to clarify the gasotransmitter signaling network in eukaryotes with a focus on four interaction nodes: the interaction of gasotransmitters with their producers, interaction of gasotransmitters with their users/targets, interaction of gasotransmitters with their sensors, and the interactions between gasotransmitters themselves. The high tide of gasotransmitter research has arrived and it is up to researchers to take advantage of such a rewarding surf odyssey.