The content of pyridine dinucleotides in the mouse embryo before implantation

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) content was found to decrease in mouse embryos during cleavage and to increase again at the blastocyst stage. The first enzyme involved in biosynthesis of NAD from nicotinamide is nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)-pyrophosphorylase. No such enzymatic activity was found in the embryos, but NAD-glycohydrolase activity was relatively high 24–48 hours after conception. Enzyme activity decreased in the blastocyst. The results are relevant to understanding the regulation of metabolism in preimplantation embryos.