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NAD+ Metabolism

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Total cards: 24•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

Card preview (24)

#1
Front (Question)

What is NAD+ composed of?

Back (Answer)

2 nucleotides linked together by their phosphate groups

#2
Front (Question)

What are the 2 nucleotides of NAD+?

Back (Answer)

• adenine nucleotide – contains adenine as its nitrogenous base (also called AMP) • nicotinamide nucleotide (NMN) – contains nicotinamide as its nitrogenous base

#3
Front (Question)

What is adenine?

Back (Answer)

a purine base

#4
Front (Question)

What is nicotinamide (NMN)?

Back (Answer)

a nitrogenous base and derivative of vitamin B3 (niacin) that gives NAD+ its redox properties

#5
Front (Question)

What does the structure of NAD+ allow it to do?

Back (Answer)

act as a critical electron carrier

#6
Front (Question)

What is oxidation and reduction respectively?

Back (Answer)

• oxidation = loss of electrons (NAD+) • reduction = gain of electrons (NADH)

#7
Front (Question)

What happens to NAD+ during redox reactions?

Back (Answer)

it can accept 2 electrons and 1 proton to become NADH

#8
Front (Question)

What is the extracellular concentration of NAD+ in the blood serum of mammals?

Back (Answer)

between 0.1 and 0.5 µM under physiological conditions

#9
Front (Question)

Describe the distribution of NAD+ in cells

Back (Answer)

• mitochondria - high conc due to energy production • cytosol - lower conc than mitochondria (200-300) involved in glycolysis and other metabolic pathways • nucleus - lower conc than cytosol (100-200) crucial for DNA repair and gene reg • ER - lowest conc used in regulation of protein folding and quality control

#10
Front (Question)

What is the half-life of NAD+?

Back (Answer)

1-2 hours

#11
Front (Question)

What is maintaining NAD+ half-life crucial for?

Back (Answer)

cellular metabolism, DNA repair and longevity

#12
Front (Question)

What are the 3 main pathways cells use to produce NAD+?

Back (Answer)

• Preiss-Handler pathway from niacin • de novo pathway from tryptophan • salvage pathway from recycling NMN

#13
Front (Question)

How can NAD+ synthesis be enhanced?

Back (Answer)

• supplementation with precursors like nicotinamide riboside (NR) or NMN • diet rich in NAD+ precursors • activation of NAMPT enzyme, which recycles nicotinamide into NAD+

#14
Front (Question)

What are the 3 main NAD+ consumption enzymes?

Back (Answer)

• PARPs - activated during DNA repair • CD38 - involved in immune signalling and inflammation • sirtuins - involved in longevity and metabolism

#15
Front (Question)

How can excessive NAD+ depletion be minimised?

Back (Answer)

• reduce chronic inflammation by inhibiting CD38 with apigenin or quercetin • lower oxidative stress by antioxidant-rich diet or exercise • enhance DNA repair efficiency by limiting excessive PARP activation

#16
Front (Question)

How does calorie restriction affect NAD+?

Back (Answer)

it activates the NAMPT enzyme which enhances NAD+ regeneration through salvage pathway

#17
Front (Question)

What are the 4 main ways to maintain NAD+ half-life in cells?

Back (Answer)

• increase NAD+ synthesis (diet, supplementation) • minimise excessive NAD+ consumption (inflammation control, reduce oxidative stress) • enhance NAD+ recycling (exercise, fasting) • support mitochondrial health (nutrition, physical activity)

#18
Front (Question)

What are the 4 main precursors to NAD+?

Back (Answer)

• tryptophan • nicotinic acid (NA) • nicotinamide (NAM) • nicotinamide riboside (NR)

#19
Front (Question)

What do NMNATs do?

Back (Answer)

work in Preiss-Handler and salvage pathway to add an AMP group either to NAMN or NAM, respectively

#20
Front (Question)

What is the rate limiting enzyme in the Preiss-Handler pathway?

Back (Answer)

NAPRT (uses NA as substrate)

#21
Front (Question)

What is the rate limiting enzyme in the salvage pathway?

Back (Answer)

NAMPT (regenerates NMN from NAM)

#22
Front (Question)

How is NMN generated?

Back (Answer)

NR kinase phosphorylates NR

#23
Front (Question)

What does the tryptophan degradation pathway lead to?

Back (Answer)

quinolinic acid as precursor which merges with the Preiss-Handler pathway to make NAD+ (less effective)

#24
Front (Question)

What does inhibition of NAMPT in the salvage pathway lead to?

Back (Answer)

to a loss of NAD+