Abstract: The invention provides a novel gene, gridlock, and its encoded protein. gridlock plays a role in vascular development and modeling, and a mutation in gridlock has been associated with an aortic arch disease, coarctation. Thus, gridlock nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides can be used in methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing gridlock-related diseases and conditions, such as aortic arch diseases.

Abstract: The invention provides methods of diagnosing heart disease, such as heart failure, screening methods for identifying compounds that can be used to treat or to prevent heart disease, and methods of using these compounds to treat or to prevent heart disease. The invention also provides animal model systems for carrying out the screening methods.

Abstract: This invention relates to transgenic non-human animals comprising a disrupted endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene. These animals exhibit abnormal wound-healing properties and hypertension. This invention also relates to methods of using the transgenic animals to screen for compounds having a potential therapeutic utility for vascular endothelial disorders, such as hypertension, cerebral ischemia or stroke, atherosclerosis and wound-healing activities. Moreover, this invention also relates to methods of treating a patient suffering from hypertension and wound-healing abnormalities with the compounds identified using the transgenic animals, and methods of making the transgenic animals. A method of treating a wound using nitroglycerin is also provided.

Abstract: Inhibition of nerve growth normally helps to prevent aberrant pathway or target selection, but also prevents needed regeneration in the mammalian central nervous system. The responsible inhibitory ligands are unknown, but pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins, which are enriched in growth cones, appear to be involved in causing the responding growth cones to collapse. GAP-43 is an intracellular protein that can amplify the response to the stimulation of G protein-coupled receptors. We have attempted to modify the sensitivity of nerves to inhibitory signals by the use of GAP-43 peptides. The peptide corresponding to the native amino terminus sequence stimulates G.sub.o and enhances the growth cone collapse induced by inhibitory ligands. Modification of two critical cysteines generates peptides which inhibit G.sub.o and which markedly reduce the degree of inhibitor-mediated growth cone collapse.