Nicotinamide adenine from tryptophan

Nicotinic acid derivatives occur in biologic materials as the free acid, as nicotinamide, and in two coenzymatic forms nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). These coenzymes act in series with flavoprotein enzymes and, like them, are hydrogen acceptors or, when reduced, donors. Several plants and bacteria use a metabolic pathway for the formation of nicotinic acid that is different from the tryptophan pathway used by animals and man (B39). 

Niacin is also known as vitamin PP or vitamin Bj. The term niacin describes two related compounds, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide (Figure 19.18), both with biological activity. Niacin is formed from the metabolism of tryptophan, and therefore it is not strictly a vitamin. It is a precursor of two cofactors nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), which are essential for the functioning of a wide range of enzymes involved in redox reactions. 

Niacin is a generic term which refers to two related chemical compounds, nicotinic acid (6.22) and its amide, nicotinamide (6.23) both are derivatives of pyridine. Nicotinic acid is synthesized chemically and can be easily converted to the amide in which form it is found in the body. Niacin is obtained from food or can be synthesized from tryptophan (60 mg of dietary tryptophan has the same metabolic effect as 1 mg niacin). Niacin forms part of two important co-enzymes, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), which are co-factors for many enzymes that participate in various metabolic pathways and function in electron transport. 

Niacin, a water-soluble vitamin vital for oxidation by living cells, functions in the body as a component of two important coenzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). NAD and NADP are involved in the release of energy from carbohydrate, fat, and protein, and in the synthesis of protein, fat, and pentoses for nucleic acid formation. Milk is a poor source of preformed niacin, containing about 0.08 mg per 100 g. However, milk s niacin value is considerably greater than indicated by its niacin content (Horwitt et al. 1981). Not only is the niacin in milk fully available, but the amino acid tryptophan in milk can be used by the body for the synthesis of niacin. For every 60 mg of tryptophan consumed, the body synthesizes 1 mg of niacin. Therefore, the niacin equivalents in 100 g milk equal 0.856 mg including that from pre-... 

Tissue also contains some endogenous species that exhibit fluorescence, such as aromatic amino acids present in proteins (phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan), pyridine nucleotide enzyme cofactors (e.g., oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NADH pyridoxal phosphate flavin adenine dinucleotide, FAD), and cross-links between the collagen and the elastin in extracellular matrix.100 These typically possess excitation maxima in the ultraviolet, short natural lifetimes, and low quantum yields (see Table 10.1 for examples), but their characteristics strongly depend on whether they are bound to proteins. Excitation of these molecules would elicit background emission that would contaminate the emission due to implanted sensors, resulting in baseline offsets or even major spectral shifts in extreme cases therefore, it is necessary to carefully select fluorophores for implants. It is also noteworthy that the lifetimes are fairly short, such that use of longer lifetime emitters in sensors would allow lifetime-resolved measurements to extract sensor emission from overriding tissue fluorescence. 

It is not strictly correct to regard niacin as a vitamin. Its metabolic role is as the precursor of the nicotinamide moiety of the nicotinamide nucleotide coenzymes, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and NADP, and this can also be synthesized in vivo from the essential amino acid tryptophan. At least in developed countries, average intakes of protein provide more than enough tryptophan to meet requirements for NAD synthesis without any need for preformed niacin. It is only when tryptophan metabolism is disturbed, or intake of the amino acid is inadequate, that niacin becomes a dietary essential. 

Ikeda, M., Tsuji, H., Nakamura, S., Ichiyama, A., Nishizuka, Y., and Hayaishi, O. (1965) Studies on the biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. II. A role of picolinic carboxylase in the biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide from tryptophan in mammals. J. Biol. Chem. 240 1395-401. 

Nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NAD diphosphopyri-dine nucleotide) and nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP also termed triphosphopyridine nucleotide) represent most of the niacin activity found in good sources that include yeast, lean meats, liver, and poultry. Milk, canned salmon, and several leafy green vegetables contribute lesser amounts but are still sufficient to prevent deficiency. Additionally, some plant foodstuffs, especially cereals such as corn and wheat, contain niacin bound to various peptides and sugars in forms nutritionally not readily available (niacinogens or niacytin). Because tryptophan is a precursor of niacin, protein provides a considerable portion of niacin equivalent. As much as two thirds of niacin required by adults can be derived from tryptophan metaboHsm via nicotinic acid ribonucleotide... 

The answer is a. (Murray, pp 627-661. Scriver, pp 3897-3964. Sack, pp 121—138. Wilson, pp 287-320.) The major contributor of electrons in reductive biosynthetic reactions is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH -I- H ), which is derived by reduction of NAD. NAD is formed from the vitamin niacin (also called nicotinate). Niacin can be formed from tryptophan in humans. In the synthesis of NAD, niacin reacts with 5-phosphoribosyl-l-pyrophosphate to form nicotinate ribonucleotide. Then, AMP is transferred from ATP to nicotinate ribonucleotide. Finally, the amide group of glutamate is transferred to the niacin carboxyl group to form the final product, NAD. NADP is derived from NAD by phosphorylation of the 2 -hydroxyl group of the adenine ribose moiety. The reduction of NADP to NADPH -I- H occurs primarily through the hexose monophosphate shunt. 

This chapter discusses the pathways by which L-tryptophan is metabolized into a variety of metabolites, many of which have important physiological functions. A few metabolites are cited here briefly. Quinolinic acid is involved in the regulation of gluconeogenesis. Picolinic acid is involved in normal intestinal absorption of zinc. The body s pool of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is influenced by L-tryptophan s metabolic conversion to niacin. Finally, L-tryptophan is the precursor of several neuroactive compounds, the most important of which is serotonin (5-HT), which participates as a neurochemical substrate for a variety of normal behavioral and neuroendocrine functions. Serotonin derived from L-tryptophan allows it to become involved in behavioral effects, reflecting altered central nervous system function under conditions that alter tryptophan nutrition and metabolism. 

Nicotinic acid (niacin) is a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) which plays a central role in metabolism as a coenzyme. It can be synthesized from tryptophan. Tryptophan and nicotinate deficiency lead to pellagra, which is characterized by diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia. Maize-rich diets... 

The alkaloids interfere with a number of enzyme systems. In vitro, lasiocarpine and heliotrine inhibit enzyme systems that need pju idine nucleotides for electron transfer (45). The nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide pyrophosphorylase activity of nuclei from rat liver that has been treated with heliotrine is reduced significantly below that of controls (46). It has recently been shown that in rats lasiocarpine inhibits RNA synthesis, causes a substantial reduction in tryptophan pyrrolase activity, and decreases the activity of RNA polymerase (47). 

The Federal Enrichment Act of 1942 required the millers of flour to restore iron, niacin, thiamin and riboflavin lost in the milling process. Enriched flours and baked goods made from them are now excellent sources of niacin. Niacin may also be found in meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, and peanut butter. Besides direct niacin intake, humans can convert the amino acid tryptophan to niacin. Many people take daily vitamin supplements to ensure they get enough niacin and other essential nutrients, see also Coenzyme Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide. 

This reaction is the initial step of the biosynthesis of the coenzyme nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NAD) from tryptophan in mammals. 

In most bacteria and in higher plants nicotinic acid is formed from aspartic acid and a three carbon unit derived from glycerol, probably D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (D 2). A key intermediate is quinolinic acid, which in animals, however, is derived from l-tryptophan (D 21). Nicotinic acid originates from quinolinic acid via nicotinic acid mononucleotide formed with the participation of 5-phosphoribosyl-l-pyrophosphate. It changes either directly to nicotinic acid or is formed via nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) in the nicotinic acid nucleotide cycle. 

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, nicotinic acid or vitamin PP, is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin (Table 7.1). This vitamin is the generic descriptor for two vitamers niacin and niacinamide. In the research literature the terms nicotinic acid/nicotinamide are most commonly used, while in medical practice niacin/niadnamide are preferred. The vitamin is obtained from the diet in the form of nicotinic acid, nicotinamide and tryptophan, which are transformed to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides, NAD and NADP. These compounds participate in cellular oxidation-reduction reactions that are critical for energy production. NAD and NADP also participate in a wide variety of... 

Metabolism—Niacin is readily absorbed from the small intestine into the portal blood circulation and taken to the liver. There it is converted to the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Also, some NAD is synthesized in the liver from tryptophan. NAD formed in the liver is broken down, releasing nicotinamide, which is excreted into the general circulation. This nicotinamide and the niacin that was not metabolized in the liver are carried in the blood to other body tissues, where they are utilized for the synthesis of niacin-containing coenzymes. 

Fluorescence applications are ranging from in vivo and in vitro diagnostics to experimental biology. In the first case mainly intrinsic fluorescence is used, which arises from proteins (in particular the amino acid tryptophan [4,5]), extracellular fibres [6,7] or specific coenzymes, e.g. nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). So far, fluorescence intensity of NADH has been correlated with metabolic functions [8,9] and was proposed to be an appropriate parameter for detection of ischemic [10,11] or neoplastic [12-14] tissues. The application of fluorescent probes for diagnostic purposes in humans has so far been limited to fluorescein or indocyanine green used... 

Ibe nicotinamide moiety of NAD is biosynthesized from quinolinic acid (see Pyridine nucleotide cycle. Tryptophan). NAD is degraded by a pyrophosphatase, and by nucleosidases that cleave the glycosidic bonds to nicotinamide and adenine. 

Quinolinate decarboxylation and conversion to nicotinic acid mononucleotide is catalysed by quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase, a rate-limiting enzyme in the conversion of tryptophan to NAD the reaction requires Mg and is negatively regulated by nicotinamide. Next the transfer of adenylate from ATP by an intermediate of nicotinamide/nicotinate-mononucleotide-adenyl-transferases isoenzymes (NMNAT, see below) yields nicotinic acid adenine... 

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