ADP-ribosyl Cyclase and CD38 Catalyze the Synthesis of a Calcium-mobilizing Metabolite from NADP+(∗)

ADP-ribosyl cyclase catalyzes the cyclization of NAD++ to produce cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), which is emerging as an endogenous regulator of the Ca2+2+-induced Ca2+2+ release mechanism in cells. CD38 is a lymphocyte differentiation antigen which has recently been shown to be a bifunctional enzyme that can synthesize cADPR from NAD++ as well as hydrolyze cADPR to ADP-ribose. In this study, we show that both the cyclase and CD38 can also catalyze the exchange of the nicotinamide group of NADP++ with nicotinic acid (NA). The product is nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP++), a metabolite we have previously shown to be potent in Ca2+2+ mobilization (Lee, H. C., and Aarhus, R.(1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 2152-2157). The switch of the catalysis to the exchange reaction requires acidic pH and NA. The half-maximal effective concentration of NA is about 5 mM for both the cyclase and CD38. In the absence of NA or at neutral pH, the cyclase converts NADP++ to another metabolite, which is identified as cyclic ADP-ribose 2′-phosphate. Under the same conditions, CD38 converts NADP++ to ADP-ribose 2′-phosphate instead, which is the hydrolysis product of cyclic ADP-ribose 2′-phosphate. That two different products of ADP-ribosyl cyclase and CD38, cADPR and NAADP+, are both involved in Ca2+ mobilization suggests a crucial role of these enzymes in Ca2+ signaling.