Protein binding of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and regulation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide glycohydrolase activity in homogenates of rabbit skeletal muscle

Abstract

Gel-permeation chromatography and ultrafiltration have been used to study the free and bound forms of NAD in crude extracts prepared from rabbit muscle. Both techniques indicate that over 80% of the endogenous NAD is free. Nicotinamide inhibits the destruction of NAD in muscle homogenates (50% inhibition at 1.6 m m nicotinamide). In the absence of nicotinamide, there is a rapid destruction of free NAD, but a more gradual destruction of bound NAD. The latter result confirms earlier findings that bound NAD is protected from the hydrolytic action of NADase. However, this protection is unlikely to constitute an important mechanism for controlling NADase activity in muscle homogenates because such a small proportion of the endogenous NAD is bound. In the absence of nicotinamide, NAD also disappears rapidly from minced muscle. Interestingly, the NAD/NADH ratio remains constant (NAD/NADH = 18.1–18.5) during the disappearance of NAD in minced muscle. Upon homogenization of the mince, the NAD/NADH ratio abruptly decreases, then slowly increases during subsequent incubation. The latter rise in NAD/NADH ratio appears to be independent of absolute changes in NAD concentration brought about by the action of NADase or the addition of exogenous NAD.