Metabolism of nicotinamide mononucleotide in beef liver

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is not only an intermediate for the biosynthesis but also a degradation product of pyridine cofactors in animal tissues. Among the animal tissues tested, the highest NMN catabolizing activity was detected in beef liver (5.6 mumol/min/g tissue). This activity was 16 times higher than the NAD hydrolysis catalyzed by the liver NAD glycohydrolase. As a result of enzymatic analysis of the NMN splitting process, two types of enzyme responsible for this catabolism were partially purified and identified as a membrane-bound 5'-nucleotidase and a cytoplasmic nicotinamide riboside (NR) phosphorylase. No specific NMN glycohydrolase could be found in contrast to results observed in bacterial systems. The 5'-nucleotidase and NR phosphorylase constitute an obligatory process of the pyridine nucleotide cycle. The dephosphorylation and phosphorolysis catalyzed suggest that these enzymes could serve as an important mechanism for salvaging the ribose and nicotinamide moieties of NMN and pyridine nucleotides in the cell and a process that could be regulated at the mononucleotide level by this "NMN cycle" rather than by a NAD glycohydrolase cycle. In addition to the enzymatic properties of these enzymes, a regulatory mechanism by nucleotides such as ATP was also demonstrated.