Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) can be biosynthesized from L-aspartic acid. This amino acid reacts with oxygen through an L-aspartate oxidase resulting in a hydrogen ion, hydrogen peroxide and an iminoaspartic acid. The latter compound interacts with dihydroxyacetone phosphate through a quinolinate synthase A, resulting in a phosphate, water, and a quinolic acid. Quinolic acid interacts with phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate and hydrogen ion through a quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase resulting in pyrophosphate, carbon dioxide and nicotinate beta-D-ribonucleotide. The latter is adenylated through an ATP driven nicotinate-mononucleotide adenylyltransferase releasing a pyrophosphate and resulting in a nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide. Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide is processed through an NAD synthetase, NH3-dependent in two different manners. In the first case, Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide interacts with ATP, L-glutamine and water through the enzyme and results in hydrogen ion, AMP, pyrophosphate, L-glutamic acid and NAD. In the second case, Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide interacts with ATP and ammonium through the enzyme resulting in a pyrophosphate, AMP, hydrogen ion and NAD. NAD then proceeds to regulate its own pathway by repressing L-aspartate oxidase. As a general rule, most prokaryotes utilize the aspartate de novo pathway, in which the nicotinate moiety of NAD is synthesized from aspartate , while in eukaryotes, the de novo pathway starts with tryptophan.

NAD Biosynthesis References