Based on the GCITEM-IGGCAS model and tides from TIMED/SABER observations, the longitudinal variations in the lower thermosphere nitric oxide (NO), which is induced by non-migrating tides, are investigated. We simulate the intra-annual variation of the NO density, and find that equinoctial lower thermospheric NO density shows an obvious wavenumber-4 longitudinal structure between March and October, and a wavenumber-3 longitudinal structure in other months. These simulation results are consistent with the longitudinal variations observed by Oberheide and Forbes [2008]. The simulations suggest that the wavenumber-4 structure in NO density is driven by the DE3 tide, and the wavenumber-3 structure is driven by the DE2 tide. Our simulations also show that the NO density residuals and the neutral mass density residuals in the height range between 90 and 120km agree well with each other, and the neutral mass density mainly affect the longitudinal variations of lower thermospheric NO density through modulate the chemical production rate.