Production of calcium-mobilizing metabolites by a novel member of the ADP-ribosyl cyclase family expressed in Schistosoma mansoni

ADP-ribosyl cyclases are structurally conserved enzymes that are best known for catalyzing the production of the calcium-mobilizing metabolite, cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR), from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)). However, these enzymes also produce adenosine diphosphate ribose (ADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP(+)), both of which have been shown to modulate calcium mobilization in vitro. We have now characterized a new member of the cyclase family from Schistosoma mansoni, a member of the Platyhelminthes phylum. We show that the novel NAD(P)(+) catabolizing enzyme (NACE) expressed by schistosomes is structurally most closely related to the cyclases cloned from Aplysia but also shows significant homology with the mammalian cyclases, CD38 and CD157. NACE expression is developmentally regulated in schistosomes, and the GPI-anchored protein is localized to the outer tegument of the adult schistosome. Importantly, NACE, like all members of the cyclase family, is a multifunctional enzyme and catalyzes NAD(+) glycohydrolase and base-exchange reactions to produce ADPR and NAADP(+). However, despite being competent to generate a cyclic product from NGD(+), a nonphysiologic surrogate substrate, NACE is so far the only enzyme in the cyclase family that is unable to produce significant amounts of cADPR (<0.02% of reaction products) using NAD(+) as the substrate. This suggests that the other calcium-mobilizing metabolites produced by NACE may be more important for calcium signaling in schistosomes. Alternatively, the function of NACE may be to catabolize extracellular NAD(+) to prevent its use by host enzymes that utilize this source of NAD(+) to facilitate immune responses.     

Cyclic ADP-ribose and Nicotinic Acid Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NAADP) as Messengers for Calcium Mobilization

Cyclic ADP-ribose and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate were discovered >2 decades ago. That they are second messengers for mobilizing Ca(2+) stores has since been firmly established. Separate stores and distinct Ca(2+) channels are targeted, with cyclic ADP-ribose acting on the ryanodine receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate mobilizes the endolysosomes via the two-pore channels. Despite the structural and functional differences, both messengers are synthesized by a ubiquitous enzyme, CD38, whose crystal structure and catalytic mechanism have now been well elucidated. How this novel signaling enzyme is regulated remains largely unknown and is the focus of this minireview.     

A unified mechanism of enzymatic synthesis of two calcium messengers: cyclic ADP-ribose and NAADP.

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) mobilize Ca2+ from two different types of intracellular stores and through completely independent mechanisms. The two Ca2+ messengers are also structurally distinct. cADPR is a cyclic nucleotide derived from NAD, while NAADP is a linear metabolite of NADP. Systems responsive to these two novel signaling molecules are widespread among eukaryotes and include protozoan, plant, invertebrate, mammalian as well as human cells. Despite their functional and structural differences, cADPR and NAADP are sibling messengers synthesized by a single enzyme, ADP-ribosyl cyclase. In this article the recent progress in understanding the physiological roles of cADPR and NAADP is briefly reviewed. A unified mechanism of catalysis is also proposed, which takes into consideration the crystallographic structure of ADP-ribosyl cyclase and accounts for its novel multi-functionality.     

Nicotinamide 2-fluoroadenine dinucleotide unmasks the NAD+ glycohydrolase activity of Aplysia californica adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribosyl cyclase

ADP-ribosyl cyclases catalyze the transformation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) into the calcium-mobilizing nucleotide second messenger cyclic adenosine diphosphoribose (cADP-ribose) by adenine N1-cyclization onto the C-1' ' position of NAD+. The invertebrate Aplysia californica ADP-ribosyl cyclase is unusual among this family of enzymes by acting exclusively as a cyclase, whereas the other members, such as CD38 and CD157, also act as NAD+ glycohydrolases, following a partitioning kinetic mechanism. To explore the intramolecular cyclization reaction, the novel nicotinamide 2-fluoroadenine dinucleotide (2-fluoro-NAD+) was designed as a sterically very close analogue to the natural substrate NAD+, with only an electronic perturbation at the critical N1 position of the adenine base designed to impede the cyclization reaction. 2-Fluoro-NAD+ was synthesized in high yield via Lewis acid catalyzed activation of the phosphoromorpholidate derivative of 2-fluoroadenosine 5'-monophosphate and coupling with nicotinamide 5'-monophosphate. With 2-fluoro-NAD+ as substrate, A. californica ADP-ribosyl cyclase exhibited exclusively a NAD+ glycohydrolase activity, catalyzing its hydrolytic transformation into 2-fluoro-ADP-ribose, albeit at a rate ca. 100-fold slower than for the cyclization of NAD+ and also, in the presence of methanol, into its methanolysis product beta-1' '-O-methyl 2-fluoro-ADP-ribose with a preference for methanolysis over hydrolysis of ca. 100:1. CD38 likely converted 2-fluoro-NAD+ exclusively into the same product. We conclude that A. californica ADP-ribosyl cyclase can indeed be classified as a multifunctional enzyme that also exhibits a classical NAD+ glycohydrolase function. This alternative pathway that remains, however, kinetically cryptic when using NAD+ as substrate can be unmasked with a dinucleotide analogue whose conversion into the cyclic derivative is blocked. 2-Fluoro-NAD+ is therefore a useful molecular tool allowing dissection of the kinetic scheme for this enzyme.     

Regulation of nuclear Ca2+ signaling by translocation of the Ca2+ messenger synthesizing enzyme ADP-ribosyl cyclase during neuronal depolarization

In neurons, voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels and nuclear Ca(2+) signaling play important roles, such as in the regulation of gene expression. However, the link between electrical activity and biochemical cascade activation involved in the generation of the nuclear Ca(2+) signaling is poorly understood. Here we show that depolarization of Aplysia neurons induces the translocation of ADP-ribosyl cyclase, a Ca(2+) messenger synthesizing enzyme, from the cytosol into the nucleus. The translocation is dependent on Ca(2+) influx mainly through the voltage-dependent L-type Ca(2+) channels. We report also that specific nucleoplasmic Ca(2+) signals can be induced by three different calcium messengers, cyclic ADP-ribose, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP), both produced by the ADP-ribosyl cyclase, and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)). Moreover, our pharmacological data show that NAADP acts on its own receptor, which cooperates with the IP(3) and the ryanodine receptors to generate nucleoplasmic Ca(2+) oscillations. We propose a new model where voltage-dependent L-type Ca(2+) channel-induced nuclear translocation of the cytosolic cyclase is a crucial step in the fine tuning of nuclear Ca(2+) signals in neurons.     

Molecular cloning, expression, and functional characterization of a novel member of the CD38 family of ADP-ribosyl cyclases

We report the molecular cloning and functional characterization of a novel member of the CD38 family of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPr)-generating cyclases. We cloned a cDNA insert that encoded a 298-amino-acid-long protein (M(w) approximately 39 kDa). The predicted protein displayed 69, 61, and 58% similarity, respectively, to mouse, rat, and human CD38. Rabbit CD38 was also 28% homologous to Aplysia ADP-ribosyl cyclase and leukocyte CD157 (another ADP-ribosyl cyclase); the three cyclases shared 10 cysteine and 2 adjacent proline residues. We then transfected CD38-negative NIH3T3 cells with cDNA encoding a CD38-EGFP fusion protein. Epifluorescence microscopy showed intense EGFP fluorescence confirming CD38 expression. We finally confirmed the ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity of the expressed CD38 by measuring its ability to catalyze the cyclization of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) surrogate, NGD(+), to its fluorescent nonhydrolyzable derivative, cGDPr.     

Roles of cADPR and NAADP in pancreatic cells

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) are Ca(2+)-mobilizing nucleotides that were discovered in the late 1980s. Two decades of investigations have built up a considerable understanding about these two molecules that are related because both are derived from pyridine nucleotides and known to be generated by CD38/ADP-ribosyl cyclases. cADPR has been shown to target the ryanodine receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum whereas NAADP stimulates the two-pore channels in the endo-lysosomes. Accumulating results indicate that cADPR and NAADP are second messenger molecules mediating Ca(2+) signaling activated by a wide range of agonists. This article reviews what is known about these two molecules, especially regarding their signaling roles in the pancreatic cells.     

The dramatically increased chaperone activity of small heat-shock protein IbpB is retained for an extended period of time after the stress condition is removed

NAADP (nicotinic acid-adenine dinucleotide phosphate), the most potent Ca2+-mobilizing second messenger, is active in a wide range of organisms and cell types. Until now, all NAADP-producing enzymes have been thought to be members of the ADP-ribosyl cyclase family. ADP-ribosyl cyclases exhibit promiscuous substrate selectivity, synthesize a variety of products and are regulated in a limited manner, which may be non-physiological. In the present paper, we report the presence of an enzyme on the surface of sea urchin sperm that exhibits bell-shaped regulation by Ca2+ over a range (EC(50) of 10 nM and IC(50) of 50 microM) that is physiologically relevant. Uniquely, this surface enzyme possesses complete selectivity for nucleotides with a 2'-phosphate group and exhibits only base-exchange activity without any detectable cyclase activity. Taken together, these findings indicate that this novel enzyme should be considered as the first true NAADP synthase.     

Localization of the cyclic ADP-ribose-dependent calcium signaling pathway in hepatocyte nucleus

CD38 is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein found on both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells. It is known for its involvement in the metabolism of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate, two nucleotides with calcium mobilizing activity independent of inositol trisphosphate. It is generally believed that CD38 is an integral protein with ectoenzymatic activities found mainly on the plasma membrane. Here we show that enzymatically active CD38 is present intracellularly on the nuclear envelope of rat hepatocytes. CD38 isolated from rat liver nuclei possessed both ADP-ribosyl cyclase and NADase activity. Immunofluorescence studies on rat liver cryosections and isolated nuclei localized CD38 to the nuclear envelope of hepatocytes. Subcellular localization via immunoelectron microscopy showed that CD38 is located on the inner nuclear envelope. The isolated nuclei sequestered calcium in an ATP-dependent manner. cADPR elicited a rapid calcium release from the loaded nuclei, which was independent of inositol trisphosphate and was inhibited by 8-amino-cADPR, a specific antagonist of cADPR, and ryanodine. However, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate failed to elicit any calcium release from the nuclear calcium stores. The nuclear localization of CD38 shown in this study suggests a novel role of CD38 in intracellular calcium signaling for non-hematopoietic cells.     

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP): novel regulators of Ca2+-signaling and cell function

Ca2+ ions are involved in the regulation of many diverse functions in animal and plant cells, e.g. muscle contraction, secretion of neurotransmitters, hormones and enzymes, fertilization of oocytes, and lymphocyte activation and proliferation. The intracellular Ca2+ concentration can be increased by different molecular mechanisms, such as Ca2+ influx from the extracellular space or Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores. Release from intracellular Ca2+ stores is accomplished by the small molecular compounds D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3), cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP). This review concentrates on (i) receptor-mediated formation of cADPR by ADP-ribosyl cyclases, (ii) intracellular and extracellular effects of cADPR in a variety of cell types, and (iii) cADPR in the nucleus. Though our understanding of the role of NAADP is still unclear in many aspects, important recent findings are reviewed, e.g. Ca2+ release activity and binding studies in mammalian cell types.     

Characterization of the active site of ADP-ribosyl cyclase.

ADP-ribosyl cyclase synthesizes two Ca(2+) messengers by cyclizing NAD to produce cyclic ADP-ribose and exchanging nicotinic acid with the nicotinamide group of NADP to produce nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate. Recombinant Aplysia cyclase was expressed in yeast and co-crystallized with a substrate, nicotinamide. x-ray crystallography showed that the nicotinamide was bound in a pocket formed in part by a conserved segment and was near the central cleft of the cyclase. Glu(98), Asn(107) and Trp(140) were within 3.5 A of the bound nicotinamide and appeared to coordinate it. Substituting Glu(98) with either Gln, Gly, Leu, or Asn reduced the cyclase activity by 16-222-fold, depending on the substitution. The mutant N107G exhibited only a 2-fold decrease in activity, while the activity of W140G was essentially eliminated. The base exchange activity of all mutants followed a similar pattern of reduction, suggesting that both reactions occur at the same active site. In addition to NAD, the wild-type cyclase also cyclizes nicotinamide guanine dinucleotide to cyclic GDP-ribose. All mutant enzymes had at least half of the GDP-ribosyl cyclase activity of the wild type, some even 2-3-fold higher, indicating that the three coordinating amino acids are responsible for positioning of the substrate but not absolutely critical for catalysis. To search for the catalytic residues, other amino acids in the binding pocket were mutagenized. E179G was totally devoid of GDP-ribosyl cyclase activity, and both its ADP-ribosyl cyclase and the base exchange activities were reduced by 10,000- and 18,000-fold, respectively. Substituting Glu(179) with either Asn, Leu, Asp, or Gln produced similar inactive enzymes, and so was the conversion of Trp(77) to Gly. However, both E179G and the double mutant E179G/W77G retained NAD-binding ability as shown by photoaffinity labeling with [(32)P]8-azido-NAD. These results indicate that both Glu(179) and Trp(77) are crucial for catalysis and that Glu(179) may indeed be the catalytic residue.     

Assay for ADP-ribosyl cyclase by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), a natural metabolite of beta-NAD(+), is a second messenger for Ca(2+) signaling in T cells. As a tool for purification and identification of ADP-ribosyl cyclase(s) in T cells, a sensitive and specific enzymatic assay using 1,N(6)-etheno-NAD(+) as substrate was developed. A major problem-the sensitivity of 1,N(6)-etheno-cADPR toward the extraction medium perchloric acid-was solved by replacing the perchloric acid extraction procedure of nucleotides by a filtration step. Standard compounds for the HPLC analysis of ADP-ribosyl cyclases and NAD(+)-glycohydrolases, e.g., 1,N(6)-etheno-cADPR, 1,N(6)-etheno-ADPR, and 1,N(6)-etheno-AMP, were produced by ADP-ribosyl cyclase from Aplysia californica and dinucleotide pyrophosphatase. The assay was applied to subcellular fractions prepared from human Jurkat T cells. As a result ADP-ribosyl cyclase and NAD(+)-glycohydrolase activity could be detected and precisely quantified in different subcellular fractions indicating the presence of different isoenzymes in T cells.     

An Ancestral Deuterostome Family of Two-pore Channels Mediates Nicotinic Acid Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate-dependent Calcium Release from Acidic Organelles

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is a potent and widespread calcium-mobilizing messenger, the properties of which have been most extensively described in sea urchin eggs. The molecular basis for calcium release by NAADP, however, is not clear and subject to controversy. Recent studies have provided evidence that members of the two-pore channel (TPC) family in mammals are the long sought after target channels for NAADP. Here, we show that the TPC3 gene, which has yet to be functionally characterized, is present throughout the deuterostome lineage but is a pseudogene in humans and other primates. We report the molecular cloning of the complete ancestral TPC gene family from the sea urchin and demonstrate that all three isoforms localize to acidic organelles to mediate NAADP-dependent calcium release. Our data highlight the functional divergence of this novel gene family during deuterostome evolution and provide further evidence that NAADP mediates calcium release from acidic stores through activation of TPCs.     

Dynamic conformations of the CD38-mediated NAD cyclization captured in a single crystal

The extracellular domain of human CD38 is a multifunctional enzyme involved in the metabolism of two Ca²⁺ messengers: cyclic ADP-ribose and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate. When NAD is used as substrate, CD38 predominantly hydrolyzes it to ADP-ribose, with a trace amount of cyclic ADP-ribose produced through cyclization of the substrate. However, mutation of a key residue at the active site, E146, inhibits the hydrolysis activity of CD38 but greatly increases its cyclization activity. To understand the role of the residue E146 in the catalytic process, we determined the crystal structure of the E146A mutant protein with a substrate analogue, arabinosyl-2′-fluoro-deoxy-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. The structure captured the enzymatic reaction intermediates in six different conformations in a crystallographic asymmetric unit. The structural results indicate a folding-back process for the adenine ring of the substrate and provide the first multiple snapshots of the process. Our approach of utilizing multiple molecules in the crystallographic asymmetric unit should be generally applicable for capturing the dynamic nature of enzymatic catalysis.     

The Ca2+-releasing messenger NAADP, a new player in the nervous system.

Many physiological processes are controlled by a great diversity of Ca2+ signals. Within cell, Ca2+ signals depend upon Ca2+ entry and/or Ca2+ release from internal Ca2+ stores. The control of Ca2+-store mobilization is ensured by a family of messengers comprising inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate, cyclic ADP-ribose and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP). From recent works, new concepts have emerged where activation of the cells by outside stimuli, acting at the plasma membrane, results in the synthesis of multiple Ca2+-releasing messengers which may interact and shape complex Ca2+ signals in the cytosol as well as in the nucleus. This contribution will cover the most recent advances on NAADP signalling with some emphasis on neurons.     

Hormonal control of ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity in pancreatic acinar cells from rats

Cyclic ADP-ribose, a metabolite of NAD+ evokes Ca2+ release from intracellular stores in different cells. We have determined the activity of cADPr-producing enzymes (ADP-ribosyl cyclases) in different cellular fractions prepared from isolated pancreatic acinar cells by measuring the conversion of the beta-NAD+ analogs 1,N6-etheno-NAD and nicotinamide guanine dinucleotide to the fluorescent products 1,N6-etheno-cADPr and cyclic GDP-ribose, respectively. Substrate/product analyses were carried out by reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography. In all subcellular fractions examined (cytosol, mitochondria, plasma, and intracellular membranes), ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity was detected except in zymogen granular membranes. Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation experiments revealed the presence of the ADP-ribosyl cyclase CD38 in both plasma membranes and mitochondria but not in the cytosol. Hormonal stimulation of intact acinar cells for 1 min with acetylcholine (ACh), cholecystokinin (CCK), or a membrane-permeant analog of cGMP increased ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity in the cytosol by 1.8-, 1.6-, and 1.9-fold, respectively, as compared with the control but had no effect in any other fraction. Both ACh and CCK also increased accumulation of cGMP in the cells by about 2-fold. Bombesin had no significant effect on either ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity or cGMP accumulation within this short period of stimulation. We conclude that at least two types of ADP-ribosyl cyclases are present in pancreatic acinar cells: membrane-bound CD38 and a cytosolic enzyme different from CD38. Stimulation of pancreatic acinar cells with CCK or ACh results in exclusive activation of the cytosolic ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity, most likely mediated by cGMP.     

Structure and enzymology of ADP-ribosyl cyclases: conserved enzymes that produce multiple calcium mobilizing metabolites

Cyclic ADP-ribose is an important calcium mobilizing metabolite produced by the ADP-ribosyl cyclase (cyclases) family of enzymes. Three evolutionarily conserved ADP-ribosyl cyclase superfamily members have been identified, one from the invertebrate Aplysia californica and two from mammalian tissues, CD38 and CD157. CD38 regulates calcium signaling in a number of cell types, and it was recently shown that cyclic ADP-ribose produced by CD38 modulates calcium mobilization induced upon chemokine receptor engagement. Excitingly, because immunocytes deficient in CD38 are unable to migrate to inflammatory sites in vivo, this enzyme has now become an attractive target for drug development. To rationally design inhibitors it is critical to understand the mechanism(s) by which CD38 catalyzes the transformation of its substrate NAD+ into cyclic ADP-ribose. Likewise, it is necessary to identify the CD38 substrate-binding site. Importantly, significant progress has been made in these two areas and much is now known about the structure and enzymology of CD38 and the other ADP-ribosyl cyclase superfamily members. In this review, we will outline the critical data demonstrating a role for CD38 in regulating calcium mobilization in mammalian cells. We will also describe the crystallographic data and site-directed mutagenesis studies that have helped to elucidate the CD38 structure and the identification of its active site and key catalytic residues. Finally, we will address the important advances in our understanding of the kinetic and molecular mechanisms that control cyclic ADP-ribose production by CD38.     

Molecular Properties of Sodium/Dicarboxylate Cotransporters

Cells possess multiple Ca²⁺ stores and multiple messengers for mobilizing them. In addition to inositol trisphosphate and cyclic ADP-ribose, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP), a metabolite of NADP, is shown to be a potent Ca²⁺ signaling molecule in both invertebrate and mammalian cells. This article summarizes the recent results of this newly discovered Ca²⁺ signaling mechanism and explores the implications of the apparent proliferation of Ca²⁺ messengers. Received: 11 August 1999/Revised: 21 September 1999