Nicotinamide catabolism

Nicotinamide is an essential part of two important coenzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD ) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP ) (Figure 18.19). The reduced forms of these coenzymes are NADH and NADPH. The nieotinamide eoenzymes (also known as pyridine nucleotides) are electron carriers. They play vital roles in a variety of enzyme-catalyzed oxidation-reduction reactions. (NAD is an electron acceptor in oxidative (catabolic) pathways and NADPH is an electron donor in reductive (biosynthetic) pathways.) These reactions involve direct transfer of hydride anion either to NAD(P) or from NAD(P)H. The enzymes that facilitate such... 

Endogenous NO is produced almost exclusively by L-arginine catabolism to L-citrul-line in a reaction catalyzed by a family of nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) [3]. In the first step, Arg is hydroxylated to an enzyme-bound intermediate "-hydroxy-1.-arginine (NHA), and 1 mol of NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form) and O2 are consumed. In the second step, N H A is oxidized to citrulline and NO, with consumption of 0.5 mol of NADPH and 1 mol of 02 (Scheme 1.1). Oxygen activation in both steps is carried out by the enzyme-bound heme, which derives electrons from NADPH. Mammalian NOS consists of an N-terminal oxy-... 

Two important implications of the reactions described in Equations (5.1) and (5.2) are (i) that redox reactions play an important role in metabolic transformations, with the cofactors nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) acting as electron acceptor in catabolic pathways and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) as electron donor in anabolism, and (ii) that energy must be produced by catabolism and used in biosyntheses (almost always in the form of adenosine triphosphate, ATP). 

The nicotinamide coenzymes nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) are associated with a wide variety of enzymes involved in oxidation-reduction reactions (Fig. 21). NADH is typically involved in oxidative catabolic reactions, while NADPH is primarily used in biosynthetic pathways [58]. 

Distinct coenzymes are required in biological systems because both catabolic and anabolic pathways may exist within a single compartment of a cell. The nicotinamide coenzymes catalyze direct hydride transfer (from NAD(P)H or to NAD(P)+) to or from a substrate or other cofactors active in oxidation-reduction pathways, thus acting as two-electron carriers. Chemical models have provided... 

N-dealkylation results from an alkyl substitution on an aromatic molecule, which is one of the first places where microorganisms initiate catabolic transformation of atrazine, a xenobiotic molecule (Fig. 15.2). It is a typical example of a reaction leading to transformation of pesticides like phenyl ureas, acylanihdes, carbamates, s-tri-azines, and dinitranilines. The enzyme mediating the reaction is a mixed-function oxidase, requiring a reduced nicotinamide nucleotide as an H donor. 

The reaction involves formation of an imine through reaction of ammonia with the ketone, followed by reduction of this imine (see Section 7.7.1). As we noted earlier (see Section 15.1.1), nicotinamide coenzymes may also participate in imine reductions as well as aldehyde/ketone reductions, further emphasizing the imine-carbonyl analogy (see Section 7.7.1). The reverse reaction, removal of ammonia from glutamate, is also of importance in amino acid catabolism. 

Oxidative phosphorylation begins with the entiy of electrons into the respiratory chain. Most of these electrons arise from the action of dehydrogenases that collect electrons from catabolic pathways and funnel them into universal electron acceptors—nicotinamide nucleotides (NAD+ or NADP+) or flavin nucleotides (FMN or FAD). 

Why are there two pyridine nucleotides, NAD+ and NADP+, differing only in the presence or absence of an extra phosphate group One important answer is that they are members of two different oxidation-reduction systems, both based on nicotinamide but functionally independent. The experimentally measured ratio [NAD+] / [NADH] is much higher than the ratio [NADP+] / [NADPH]. Thus, these two coenzyme systems also can operate within a cell at different redox potentials. A related generalization that holds much of the time is that NAD+ is usually involved in pathways of catabolism, where it functions as an oxidant, while NADPH is more often used as a reducing agent in biosynthetic processes. See Chapter 17, Section I for further discussion. 

In die physiological system, niacin and related substances maintain nicotinamide adenine diiuicleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine ciinucleotide phosphate (NADP). Niacin also acts as a hydrogen and electron transfer agent in carbohydrate metabolism and furnishes coenzymes for dehydrogenase systems. A niacin coenzyme participates in lipid catabolism, oxidative deamination, and photo synthesis,... 

All organisms use the same pair of pyridine nucleotides as carrier molecules for hydrogen and electrons. Both of these molecules accept hydrogen and electrons in the redox reactions of catabolism and become reduced. The oxidative half-reactions of catabolism generally produce two H+ and two electrons. The nicotinamide ring can accept two electrons and one H+ and, since the second H+ is released into the solution, most redox reactions in biological systems take the form ... 

In contrast to plant cells, which normally get their cellular energy from photosynthesis, animal cells need a carbohydrate source, usually glucose, and the amino acid glutamine. The catabolism of these substrates allows the production of two coenzymes (ATP and NADH - nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), which are essential for maintaining the viability of the cells. These coenzymes can be used for the maintenance, metabolism and/or for the synthesis of particular desired products (Wagner, 1997). 

Niacin ia a nutritional term applied to both nicotinic acid and nicotinamide and to a mixture of the two. Their structures and those of their coenzymes are given in Table 6.1. Numerous redox reactions use NAD+ and NADP+ or NADH and NADPH. The latter are used largely in reactions designed to reductively synthesize various substances, mostly in the extramitochondrial areas of the cell. NAD+, on the other hand, is used largely in its oxidized form in catabolic redox reactions. The rat liver cytosol NADPH/NADP+ ratio is about 80, whereas its NADH/NAD+ ratio is only 8 x 10 4. Table 6.3 lists some biochemical reactions in which these cofactors participate. It shows that they are of crucial importance in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids. 

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is a coenzyme which is only loosely bound to the active site of the enzymes with which it interacts and is free therefore, to dissociate from the enzyme during the catalytic cycle. The role of the dehydrogenase enzyme is to bring together the substrate and the NAD+ in the correct orientation for the two to react. These NAD+-dependent enzymes are known as dehydrogenases. They work in conjunction with NAD+ to oxidise substrates by the transfer of 1H+ and 2e from the substrate to the 4-position of the nicotinamide ring of the NAD+ (see Fig. 2.1). The overall reaction is the equivalent of a hydride transfer and is commonly referred to as such. NAD+-dependent enzymes are primarily involved in respiration (NAD+ occurs in significant amounts in mitochondria), whereas, NADP+-dependent coenzymes are primarily involved in the transfer of electrons from intermediates in catabolism. 

The nicotinamide nucleotide coenzymes are catabolized by four enzymes, which act on the oxidized, but not the reduced, coenzymes ... 

The total NADase activity of tissues from these four enzymes is very high, and the total tissue content of nicotinamide nucleotides can be hydrolyzed within a few minutes. Two factors prevent this in vivo. Apart from NAD pyrophosphatase, the enzymes that catalyze the release of nicotinamide from NAD(P) are biosynthetic rather than catabolic, and their activity is highly regulated under normal conditions. Furthermore, the values of K n of the enzymes are of the same order of magnitude as those of many of the NAD(P)-dependent enzymes in the cell, so that there is considerable competition for the nucleotides. Only that relatively small proportion of the nicotinamide nucleotide pool in the cell that is free at any one time will be immediately available for hydrolysis. 

Apart from the relatively small amounts that are required for synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), and for net new protein synthesis, essentially the whole of the dietary intake of tryptophan is metabolized by way of the oxidative pathway shown in Figures 8.4 and 9.4, which provides both a mechanism for total catabolism by way of acetyl coenzyme A and a pathway for synthesis of the nicotinamide nucleotide coenzymes (Section 8.3). 

Assay techniques GDH utilizes both nicotinamide nucleotide cofactors NAD+ in the direction of N liberation (catabolic) and NADP+ for N incorporation (assimilatory). In the forward reaction, GDH catalyzes the synthesis of amino acids from free ammonium and Qt-kg. The reverse reaction links amino acid metabolism with TCA cycle activity. In the reverse reaction, GDH provides an oxidizable carbon source used for the production of energy as weU as a reduced electron carrier, NADH, and production of NH4+. As for other enzymes, spectrophotmetric methods have been developed for measuring oxoglutarate and aminotransferase activities by assaying substrates and products of the GDH catalyzed reaction (Ahmad and Hellebust, 1989). 

Nicotinamide, but not niacin, is taken up into the brain by an active uptake process (31) and is converted into NAD (Fig. 11.9). Niacin released in the brain from catabolic processes is converted into nicotinamide as shown. Nicotinamide can increase brain levels of NAD by 50% or more (32). By increasing brain NAD levels, nicotinamide prevents ATP depletion (9) and protects cellular DNA (32). Therefore, nicotinamide maintains cellular energetics in the presence of oxidative stress. 

NAD+ Oxidized form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Note that despite the plus sign in the symbol, the coenzyme is anionic under normal physiological conditions. NAD+ is a coenzyme derived from the B vitamin niacin. It is transformed into NADH when it accepts a pair of high-energy electrons for transport in cells and is associated with catabolic and energy-yielding reactions. 

The electron donor in most reductive biosyntheses is NADPH, the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinuclcotide phosphate (NADP see Figure 15.13). NADPH differs from NADH in that the 2 -hydroxyl group of its adenosine moiety is estcrified with phosphate. NADPH carries electrons in the same way as NADH. However, NADPH is used almost exclusively for reductive hiosyntheses, whereas NADH is used primarily for the generation of ATP. The extra phosphoryl group on NADPH is a tag that enables enzymes to distinguish between high-potential electrons to be used in anabolism and those to be used in catabolism. 

Aune and Pogue344 presented data indicating that at least two distinct mechanisms, (1) stimulation of cellular catabolism of tryptophan and (2) stimulation of cellular catabolism of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) by adenosine diphosphate-ritosyl transferase (ADP-RT), can account for IFN-y-mediated inhibition of tumor cell growth. Both mechanisms appear to be sensitive to oxygen tension and to changes in intracellular glutathione concentrations, and both mechanisms lead to loss of intracellular NAD. 

Compounds that serve as energy carriers for the chemotrophs, linking catabolic and biosynthetic phases of metabolism, are adenosine phosphate and reduced pyridine nucleotides (such as nicotinamide dinucleotide or NAD). The structure of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is shown in Fig. 1. It contains two energy-rich bonds, which upon hydrolysis, yield nearly eight kcal/mole for each bond broken. ATP is thus reduced to the diphosphate (ADP) or the monophosphate (AMP) form. 

The relationship between anabolic and catabolic processes is illustrated in Figure 1.20. As nutrient molecules are degraded, energy and reducing power are conserved in ATP and NADH molecules, respectively. Biosynthetic processes use metabolites of catabolism, synthesized ATP and NADPH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, a source of reducing power, i.e., high-energy electrons), to create complex structure and function. 

---