Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a chromatin-associated nuclear protein, which functions as molecular stress sensor. Reactive oxygen species, responsible for the most plausible and currently acceptable global mechanism to explain the aging process, strongly activate the enzymatic activity of PARP1 and the formation of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) from NAD(+). Consumption of NAD(+) links PARP1...

NAD(P)H-dependent enzymes are ubiquitous in metabolism and cellular processes and are also of great interest for pharmaceutical and industrial applications. Here, we present a structure-guided enzyme engineering strategy for improving catalytic properties of NAD(P)H-dependent enzymes toward native or native-like reactions using mutations to the enzyme's adenine-binding pocket, distal to the sit...

The mechanism of calicheamicin gamma 1-mediated cytotoxicity was studied in human promyelocytic HL-60 leukemic cells. Calicheamicin gamma 1 caused an increase in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity in HL-60 cells parallel to cell death. This effect of the drug correlated with a decrease in intracellular NAD+ level. 3-Aminobenzamide, an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribosylation), prevented the caliche...

PARP-1 is the most abundantly expressed member of a family of proteins that catalyze the transfer of ADP-ribose units from NAD+ to target proteins. Herein, we describe previously uncharacterized nucleosome binding properties of PARP-1 that promote the formation of compact, transcriptionally repressed chromatin structures. PARP-1 binds in a specific manner to nucleosomes and modulates chromatin ...

In the course of other experiments, we serendipitously observed that extracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) ameliorated the development of epithelial hyperpermeability when monolayers of Caco-2 enterocyte-like cells were incubated with cytomix, a mixture containing interferon-gamma, interleukin-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. We sought to characterize the effects of NAD+...

Here, we found a natural compound, embonic acid (EA), that can specifically inhibit the enzymatic activity of mitochondrial NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme (m-NAD(P)-ME, ME2) either in vitro or in vivo. The in vitro IC50 value of EA for m-NAD(P)-ME was 1.4 ± 0.4 μM. Mutagenesis and binding studies revealed that the putative binding site of EA on m-NAD(P)-ME is located at the fumarate binding sit...

Increasing NAD+ levels by supplementing with the precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) improves cardiac function in multiple mouse models of disease. While NMN influences several aspects of mitochondrial metabolism, the molecular mechanisms by which increased NAD+ enhances cardiac function are poorly understood. A putative mechanism of NAD+ therapeutic action exists via activation of the ...

NAD(P)-dependent cholesterol dehydrogenases [NAD(P)-CDH], which allow easier quantification of cholesterol by means of directly measuring the A340 of NAD(P)H, are useful for clinical purposes. The amino acid sequences of the NH2 terminus and the fragments obtained by CNBr decomposition of the NAD(P)-CDH from a Nocardia sp. were determined for preparation of synthetic oligonucleotides as hybridi...

We have recently shown that leucine culture upregulates ATP synthase beta-subunit (ATPSbeta) and increases ATP level, cytosolic Ca(2+), and glucose-induced insulin secretion in rat islets. The aim is to test whether glucokinase expression is also affected in rat islets and its role in glucose sensitization during leucine culture. Leucine culture increased glucose-induced NAD(P)H level at 1 and ...

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurological disorders is necessary for development personalized medicine. When diagnosis considers not only disease symptoms, but also their basis, treatments tailored to individual patients may be suggested. Vitamin-responsive are induced by deficiencies in vitamin-dependent processes. These occur due genetic impairments proteins whose functions invol...