The effect of pH on the characteristics of the binding of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide by nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide specific isocitrate dehydrogenase from pea mitochondria

1. The effect of pH on the V(max.) and concentration of NAD(+) at half-maximum velocity at a constant isocitrate concentration was examined, and the results were related to the requirements for binding of H(+) ions to the enzyme. 2. The effect of varying the NAD(+) concentration on the pH optimum with constant isocitrate concentration was studied. 3. A comparison has been made between the effect of isocitrate concentration on the characteristics of binding of NAD(+) and the effect of NAD(+) concentration on the characteristics of isocitrate binding at three different pH values. 4. The mechanistic and metabolic significance of these studies is considered.     

The enthalpy change for the reduction of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide

The heat of the reaction NAD(+)+propan-2-ol=NADH+acetone+H(+) was determined to be 42.5+/-0.6kJ/mol (10.17+/-0.15kcal/mol) from equilibrium measurements at 9-42 degrees C catalysed by yeast alcohol dehydrogenase. With the aid of thermochemical data for acetone and propan-2-ol the values of DeltaH=-29.2kJ/mol (-6.99kcal/mol) and DeltaG(0)=22.1kJ/mol (5.28kcal/mol) are derived for the reduction of NAD (NAD(+)+H(2)=NADH+H(+)). These values are consistent with analogous but less accurate data for the ethanol-acetaldehyde reaction. Thermodynamic data for the reduction of NAD and NADP are summarized.     

The characterization of two reduced nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked aldehyde reductases from pig brain

1. NADPH-linked aldehyde reductase from pig, ox and rat brain exhibits non-linear reciprocal plots when partially purified enzyme preparations are studied. 2. In pig brain this non-linearity is due to the presence of two distinct aldehyde reductases, which can be separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. 3. These two enzymes can be distinguished by several criteria, including pH optima, Michaelis constants for substrates and their inhibitor sensitivity. 4. The probable role of these enzymes in the metabolism of the aldehydes derived from the biogenic amines is discussed.     

The pathway of biosynthesis of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide in rat mammary gland

1. The pathway of NAD synthesis in mammary gland was examined by measuring the activities of some of the key enzymes in each of the tryptophan, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide pathways. 2. In the tryptophan pathway, 3-hydroxyanthranilate oxidase and quinolinate transphosphoribosylase activities were investigated. Neither of these enzymes was found in mammary gland. 3. In the nicotinic acid pathway, nicotinate mononucleotide pyrophosphorylase, NAD synthetase, nicotinamide deamidase and NMN deamidase were investigated. Both NAD synthetase and nicotinate mononucleotide pyrophosphorylase were present but were very inactive. Nicotinamide deamidase, if present, had a very low activity and NMN deamidase was absent. 4. In the nicotinamide pathway both enzymes, NMN pyrophosphorylase and NMN adenylyltransferase, were present and showed very high activity. The activity of the pyrophosphorylase in mammary gland is by far the highest yet found in any tissue. 5. The apparent K(m) values for the substrates of these enzymes in mammary gland were determined. 6. On the basis of these investigations it is proposed that the main, and probably only, pathway of synthesis of NAD in mammary tissue is from nicotinamide via NMN.     

Reduced nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide–nitrite reductase from Azotobacter chroococcum

1. The assimilatory nitrite reductase of the N(2)-fixing bacterium Azotobacter chroococcum was prepared in a soluble form from cells grown aerobically with nitrate as the nitrogen source, and some of its properties have been studied. 2. The enzyme is a FAD-dependent metalloprotein (mol.wt. about 67000), which stoicheiometrically catalyses the direct reduction of nitrite to NH(3) with NADH as the electron donor. 3. NADH-nitrite reductase can exist in two either active or inactive interconvertible forms. Inactivation in vitro can be achieved by preincubation with NADH. Nitrite can specifically protect the enzyme against this inactivation and reverse the process once it has occurred. 4. A. chroococcum nitrite reductase is an adaptive enzyme whose formation depends on the presence of either nitrate or nitrite in the nutrient solution. 5. Tungstate inhibits growth of the microorganism very efficiently, by competition with molybdate, when nitrate is the nitrogen source, but does not interfere when nitrite or NH(3) is substituted for nitrate. The addition of tungstate to the culture media results in the loss of nitrate reductase activity but does not affect nitrite reductase.     

The redox state of the nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotides in rat liver homogenates

1. The redox state of the NAD couple of rat liver mitochondria, as measured by the [beta-hydroxybutyrate]/[acetoacetate] ratio, rapidly changed in the direction of oxidation during the preparation of homogenates in a saline medium. The value of the [beta-hydroxybutyrate]/[acetoacetate] ratio fell from 2.3 to 0.15 in 10min. EDTA diminished the fall and succinate prevented it. 2. The redox state of the rat liver cytoplasm, as measured by the [lactate]/[pyruvate] ratio, changed slightly in the direction of reduction during the preparation of homogenate. This was prevented by succinate. 3. In unsupplemented homogenates the differences in the redox states of mitochondria and cytoplasm decreased. Succinate and EDTA together maintained the differences within the physiological range. A measure of the ability of the mitochondria to maintain different redox states in mitochondria and cytoplasm is the value of the expression [lactate][acetoacetate]/[pyruvate][beta-hydroxybutyrate]. If there are no differences in the redox states of the NAD in the two cell compartments the value of the expression is 444 at 37 degrees . The value in the intact rat liver is between 4.7 and 21. 4. alpha-Oxoglutarate or glutamate were still more effective than succinate in maintaining high [beta-hydroxybutyrate]/[acetoacetate] ratios in the homogenates because these substrates supply a reducing agent of NAD(+) and, through succinate, an inhibitor of the oxidation of NADH. 5. When supplemented with alpha-oxoglutarate and EDTA, homogenates readily adjust the redox state of the beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase system after it has been upset by the addition of either acetoacetate or beta-hydroxybutyrate. 6. Amytal and rotenone raised the value of the [beta-hydroxybutyrate]/[acetoacetate] ratio. This is taken to indicate that the reduction of acetoacetate in the homogenates was not an energy-linked process. 7. 2,4-Dinitrophenol shifted the [beta-hydroxybutyrate]/[acetoacetate] ratio in the presence of succinate in favour of oxidation because it inhibited the oxidation of succinate and accelerated the oxidation of NADH. 8. Rotenone increased the rate of ketone-body formation of liver homogenates, though it decreased the rate of oxygen uptake.     

Binding of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotides to diphtheria toxin

1. Changes in protein fluorescence have been utilized in determining the stoicheiometry and dissociation constants of the complexes of diphtheria toxin with NADH(2), NAD, NADPH(2) and NADP. 2. The binding stoicheiometry is 2moles of NADH(2) and 1mole of NADPH(2)/mole of diphtheria toxin. The binding sites for NADH(2) appear to be equivalent and independent. 3. The toxin shows a higher affinity for the reduced than for the oxidized forms of the nucleotides. 4. Dissociation constants at 0.01I, pH7 and 25 degrees are 0.7x10(-6)m for NADH(2) and 0.45x10(-6)m for NADPH(2). Dissociation constants increase with increasing ionic strength, indicating that the binding is mainly electrostatic. 5. Bound NADH(2) and NADPH(2) may be activated to fluoresce by the transfer of energy from the excited aromatic amino acids of the toxin. Activation and emission spectra of bound and free nucleotides are compared. 6. Since NAD and NADH(2) are cofactors specifically required for the inhibition of protein synthesis by diphtheria toxin, the possible role of toxin-nucleotide complexes is discussed in this regard.     

The requirement for bivalent cations in formation of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide by nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase of pig-liver nuclei

1. The requirement for bivalent cations in catalysis of NAD formation from ATP and NMN in the presence of NMN adenylyltransferase of pig-liver nuclei was studied. Rates of NAD formation in the presence of the activating cations Cd(2+), Mn(2+), Mg(2+), Zn(2+), Co(2+) and Ni(2+) were approximately a linear function of heats of hydration of the corresponding ions. Ba(2+), Sr(2+), Ca(2+), Cu(2+) and Be(2+) did not activate the enzyme; Be(2+) inhibited the reaction in the presence of Mg(2+) and, to a greater extent, in the presence of Ni(2+). 2. Michaelis constants for NAD formation, measured in a coupled assay with NMN adenylyltransferase and alcohol dehydrogenase at pH8.0 and 25 degrees , in the presence of 3mm concentrations of the unvaried reactants, were 88+/-7mum-ATP, 42+/-4mum-NMN and 85+/-4mum-Mg(2+). The results at this pH and at pH7.5 were consistent with mechanisms in which Mg(2+)-ATP complex is a reactant and free ATP a competitive inhibitor. 3. Formation of nicotinamide-hypoxanthine dinucleotide from NMN and ITP in the presence of the transferase was also more rapid with Ni(2+) and Co(2+) than with Mg(2+).     

The effects of pH and citrate on the activity of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase from pea mitochondria

1. The effect of pH on the co-operative activation of the NAD-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase from pea mitochondria by isocitrate is shown. 2. The interlinked effects of pH on the affinity of the NAD-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase for isocitrate and the dependence of the pH optimum on the substrate concentration are presented. 3. A consideration of the conditions of pH and substrate concentration under which citrate activates the NAD-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase demonstrates similarities between the binding of isocitrate and citrate. 4. A comparison of the effects of citrate and pH on the gross structure of the enzyme is investigated by density-gradient centrifugation. 5. The kinetic interpretations of these results are briefly considered. 6. The metabolic significance of these studies is discussed.     

The activity of liver alcohol dehydrogenase with nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate as coenzyme

1. The separation of nucleotide impurities from commercial NADP preparations by chromatography is described. All the preparations studied contained 0·1–0·2% of NAD. 2. The activity of pure crystalline liver alcohol dehydrogenase with NADP as coenzyme has been confirmed. Initial-rate data are reported for the reaction at pH 6·0 and 7·0 with ethanol and acetaldehyde as substrates. With NADP and NADPH₂ of high purity, the maximal specific rates were similar to those obtained with NAD and NADH₂, but the Michaelis constants for the former coenzymes were much greater than those for the latter. 3. The oxidation of ethanol by NADP is greatly inhibited by NADH₂, and this accounts for low values of certain initial-rate parameters obtained with commercial NADP preparations containing NAD. The kinetics of the inhibition are consistent with competitive inhibition in a compulsory-order mechanism. 4. Initial-rate data with NAD and NADPH₂ do not conform to the requirements of the mechanism proposed by Theorell & Chance (1951), in contrast with results previously obtained with NAD and NADH₂. The possibility that the deviations are due to competing nucleotide impurity in the oxidized coenzyme cannot be excluded. The data show that the enzyme reacts more slowly with, and has a smaller affinity for, NADP and NADPH₂ than NAD and NADH₂. 5. Phosphate behaves as a competitive inhibitor towards NADP.     

The redox state of free nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate in the cytoplasm of rat liver

1. The concentrations of the oxidized and reduced substrates of the ;malic' enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.42) were measured in freeze-clamped rat livers. By assuming that the reactants of these dehydrogenase systems are at equilibrium in the cytoplasm the [free NADP(+)]/[free NADPH] ratio was calculated. The justification of the assumption is discussed. 2. The values of this ratio obtained under different nutritional conditions (well-fed, 48hr.-starved, fed with a low-carbohydrate diet, fed with a high-sucrose diet) were all of the same order of magnitude although characteristic changes occurred on varying the diet. The value of the ratio fell on starvation and on feeding with the low-carbohydrate diet and rose slightly on feeding with the high-sucrose diet. 3. The mean values of the ratio were calculated to be between 0.001 and 0.015, which is about 100000 times lower than the values of the cytoplasmic [free NAD(+)]/[free NADH] ratio. 4. The differences in the redox state of the two nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide couples can be explained on a simple physicochemical basis. The differences are the result of equilibria that are determined by the equilibrium constants of a number of highly active readily reversible dehydrogenases and transaminases and the concentrations of the substrates and products of these enzymes. 5. The decisive feature is the fact that the NAD and NADP couples share substrates. This sharing provides a link between the redox states of the two couples. 6. The application of the method of calculation to data published by Kraupp, Adler-Kastner, Niessner & Plank (1967), Goldberg, Passonneau & Lowry (1966) and Kauffman, Brown, Passonneau & Lowry (1968) shows that the redox states of the NAD and NADP couples in cardiac-muscle cytoplasm and in mouse-brain cytoplasm are of the same order as those in rat liver. 7. The determination of the equilibrium constant at 38 degrees , pH7.0 and I 0.25 (required for the calculation of the [free NADP(+)]/[free NADPH] ratio), gave a value of 3.44x10(-2)m for the ;malic' enzyme (with CO(2) rather than HCO(3) (-) as the reactant) and a value of 1.98x10(-2)m(-1) for glutathione reductase.     

The purification and properties of the respiratory-chain reduced nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase of Torulopsis utilis

1. An NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity has been isolated from the respiratory chain of Torulopsis utilis by using detergents. The isolated enzyme contains non-haem iron, acid-labile sulphide and FMN in the molar proportions 27.5:28.4:1. The preparation is free of FAD and largely free of cytochrome. 2. The enzyme catalyses ferricyanide reduction by NADPH at about 1% of the rate with NADH, and reacts poorly with acceptors other than ferricyanide. The rates of reduction of some acceptors are, as percentages of the rate with ferricyanide: menadione, 0.35%; lipoate, 0.01%; cytochrome c, 0.065%; dichlorophenolindophenol, 0.35%; ubiquinone-1, 0.08%. 3. Several properties of submitochondrial particles of T. utilis (non-haem iron, acid-labile sulphide, FMN and an NADH-reducible electron-paramagnetic-resonance signal) were found to co-purify with the NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity. Thus about 70% of the FMN and, within the limits of accuracy of the experiments, 100% of the non-haem iron and acid-labile sulphide of submitochondrial particles derived from T. utilis cells grown under conditions of glycerol limitation (but relatively low iron availability) can be attributed to the NADH-ferricyanide reductase. 4. It was also shown that the component of submitochondrial particles specifically bleached at 460nm by NADH [species 1 of Ragan & Garland (1971)] co-purifies with the NADH-ferricyanide reductase. 5. This successful purification of an NADH dehydrogenase from T. utilis forms a starting point for investigating the molecular properties of phenotypically modified mitochondrial NADH oxidation pathways that lack energy conservation between NADH and the cytochromes.     

The activities of nicotinamide mononucleotied adenylyltransferase and of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide kinase in the livers of rats subjected to different hormonal treatments

1. The activities of NMN adenylyltransferase and of NAD(+) kinase have been measured in the livers of adrenalectomized or alloxan-diabetic rats and in the livers of rats treated with glucagon, pituitary growth hormone or thyroxine. 2. The activities of these enzymes have been compared with the effects of the same treatments on the nicotinamide nucleotide concentrations in the liver. 3. Alloxandiabetes (+37%) and thyroxine (+27%) both increased the activity of NMN adenylyltransferase. The other treatments were without effect on this enzyme. 4. Only thyroxine increased the activity of NAD(+) kinase significantly (+26%) although both adrenalectomy and glucagon tended to increase its activity. 5. The activity of NAD(+) glycohydrolase was measured in the livers of diabetic rats, and in the livers of rats treated with either growth hormone or thyroxine. Of these treatments, only growth hormone altered the enzyme activity (+26%, calculated on a total hepatic activity basis). 6. Female rats had a greater hepatic NAD(+)-kinase activity than males but there was no sex difference with respect to NMN adenylyltransferase. 7. The lack of correlation between the maximum potential activity of these three enzymes and the known changes of the nicotinamide nucleotides in each of the hormone conditions is discussed.     

The role of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent malate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase in the supply of reduced nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate for steroidogenesis in the superovulated rat ovary

1. Superovulated rat ovary was found to contain high activities of NADP-malate dehydrogenase and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase. The activity of each enzyme was approximately four times that of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and equalled or exceeded the activities reported to be present in other mammalian tissues. Fractionation of a whole tissue homogenate of superovulated rat ovary indicated that both enzymes were exclusively cytoplasmic. The tissue was also found to contain pyruvate carboxylase (exclusively mitochondrial), NAD-malate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase (both mitochondrial and cytoplasmic) and ATP-citrate lyase (exclusively cytoplasmic). 2. The kinetic properties of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, NADP-malate dehydrogenase and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase were determined and compared with the whole-tissue concentrations of their substrates and NADPH; NADPH is a competitive inhibitor of all three enzymes. The concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate, malate and isocitrate in incubated tissue slices were raised at least tenfold by the addition of glucose to the incubation medium, from the values below to values above the respective K(m) values of the dehydrogenases. Glucose doubled the tissue concentration of NADPH. 3. Steroidogenesis from acetate is stimulated by glucose in slices of superovulated rat ovary incubated in vitro. It was found that this stimulatory effect of glucose can be mimicked by malate, isocitrate, lactate and pyruvate. 4. It is concluded that NADP-malate dehydrogenase or NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase or both may play an important role in the formation of NADPH in the superovulated rat ovary. It is suggested that the stimulatory effect of glucose on steroidogenesis from acetate results from an increased rate of NADPH formation through one or both dehydrogenases, brought about by the increases in the concentrations of malate, isocitrate or both. Possible pathways involving the two enzymes are discussed.     

The preparation of crystalline human l-lactate–nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide oxidoreductase isoenzyme 1 involving preparative polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis

A method is presented for the preparation of human heart lactate dehydrogenase (l-lactate-NAD(+) oxidoreductase; EC 1.1.1.27) isoenzyme 1; this involves the use of polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis as a preparative step. The yield was about 10% with a final specific activity of 220 units/mg of protein, one unit being defined as the amount of enzyme catalysing the oxidation of 1mumol of NADH/min at 25 degrees C, in the presence of 0.33mm-pyruvate. The crystalline preparation contained less than 2% of the other isoenzymes, was homogeneous in the ultracentrifuge and showed only a trace of protein contamination on polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Some properties of the crystalline isoenzyme are reported; E(1%) (1cm)=13.2 at 280nm, s(0) (20,w)=7.43S, pI=4.6, and the apparent K(m) for pyruvate=1.02x10(-4)m. The human isoenzyme and the isoenzyme from pig heart differ with respect to amino acid composition, electrophoretic mobility and solubility. It is possible that these differences do not involve the active site, or sites, but are due to changes in amino acid residues elsewhere in the molecule. The importance of purified human LDH-1 isoenzyme with regard to enzyme radioimmunoassay is emphasized.     

Purification and comparative properties of isoenzymes of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate–isocitrate dehydrogenase from rat heart and liver

1. Rat liver and heart major isoenzymes of NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase have each been purified about 100-fold by a combination of ammonium sulphate fractionation and chromatography on ion-exchange cellulose and their properties compared. 2. The properties were similar in respect of pH, inhibition by Hg(2+) and Michaelis constants for isocitrate and NADP. 3. Some of the properties of the isoenzymes were different. 4. The heart isoenzyme was activated about 210% by 0.8m-ammonium sulphate whereas the liver isoenzyme was unaffected. The heart isoenzyme showed greater sensitivity to inactivation by heat (30 degrees C for 30min), whereas the liver isoenzyme was more sensitive to inactivation by p-chloromercuribenzoate and by Cu(2+). 5. The Michaelis constants with 3-acetylpyridine-adenine dinucleotide phosphate showed a twofold difference between liver and heart isoenzyme. 6. The differential sensitivity to heat and its mainly non-cytoplasmic location may be an explanation of the failure of plasma isocitrate dehydrogenase activity to increase after a myocardial infarction.     

The isocitrate dehydrogenases of Acinetobacter lwoffi. Separation and properties of two nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked isoenzymes

Two isoenzymes of NADP-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase have been identified in Acinetobacter lwoffi and have been termed isoenzyme-I and isoenzyme-II. The isoenzymes may be separated by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200, or by zonal ultracentrifugation in a sucrose gradient. Low concentrations of glyoxylate or pyruvate effect considerable stimulation of the activity of isoenzyme-II. The isoenzymes also differ in pH-dependence of activity, kinetic parameters, stability to heat or urea and molecular size. Whereas isoenzyme-I resembles the NADP-linked isocitrate dehydrogenases from other organisms in having a molecular weight under 100000, isoenzyme-II is a much larger enzyme (molecular weight around 300000) resembling the NAD-linked isocitrate dehydrogenases of higher organisms.     

The isocitrate dehydrogenases of Acinetobacter lwoffi. Studies on the regulation of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked isoenzyme

Of the two NADP-linked isocitrate dehydrogenases in Acinetobacter lwoffi the higher-molecular-weight form, isoenzyme-II, is reversibly stimulated sixfold by low concentrations of glyoxylate or pyruvate. Kinetic results indicate that this stimulation of activity involves both an increase in V(max.) and a decrease in the apparent K(m) values for substrates, most markedly that for NADP(+). Other changes brought about by glyoxylate or pyruvate include a shift in the pH optimum for activity and an increased stability to inactivation by heat or urea. Mixtures of glyoxylate plus oxaloacetate, known to inhibit isocitrate dehydrogenases from other organisms, produce inhibition of both A. lowffi isoenzymes, and do not reflect the stimulatory specificity of glyoxylate for isoenzyme-II. Isoenzyme-II is also stimulated by AMP and ADP, but the activation by glyoxylate or pyruvate is shown to be quite independent of the adenylate activation. Differential desensitization of the enzyme by urea to the two types of activator further supports the view that the enzyme possesses two distinct allosteric regulatory sites. The metabolic significance of the activations is discussed.     

The inhibition of nicotinamide–adenine dinucleotide-linked 3α-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase by certain antimetabolic drugs

1. The inhibition of NAD-linked 3α-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase in vitro by some of the more therapeutically effective antimetabolic drugs has been investigated. 2. Antipurine and antifolic acid drugs inhibit this system, as does folic acid. 3. Combinations of antifolic acid drugs and folic acid itself produce an additive but not synergic inhibition. 4. Antimetabolic drugs give inhibitions that are additive to those produced by antagonistic steroid hormones.