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The oncogenic corepressors C-terminal Binding Protein (CtBP) 1 and 2 harbor regulatory d-isomer specific 2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase (d2-HDH) domains. 4-Methylthio 2-oxobutyric acid (MTOB) exhibits substrate inhibition and can interfere with CtBP oncogenic activity in cell culture and mice. Crystal structures of human CtBP1 and CtBP2 in complex with MTOB and NAD+ revealed two key features: a conserved tryptophan that likely contributes to substrate specificity and a hydrophilic cavity that links MTOB with an NAD+ phosphate. Neither feature is present in other d2-HDH enzymes. These structures thus offer key opportunities for the development of highly selective anti-neoplastic CtBP inhibitors.

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) plays a role as a vitamin or growth factor. Low concentrations of PQQ induced DNA cleavage sites frequently at thymine and cytosine residues in the presence of NADH and Cu(II). Catalase and bathocuproine inhibited DNA damage, whereas free hydroxyl radical scavengers did not. Electron spin resonance and UV-visible spectrometries showed generation of semiquinone radical and superoxide during the reaction of PQQ with NADH. These results suggest that NADH-dependent PQQ redox cycle generated superoxide and hydrogen peroxide to mediate copper-dependent DNA damage. The present study has proposed a requirement to investigate the potentiality of PQQ carcinogenicity.

The proton-pumping NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, also called complex I, is the first of the respiratory complexes providing the proton motive force which is essential for the synthesis of ATP. Closely related forms of this complex exist in the mitochondria of eucaryotes and in the plasma membranes of purple bacteria. The minimal structural framework common to the mitochondrial and the bacterial complex is composed of 14 polypeptides with 1 FMN and 6–8 iron-sulfur clusters as prosthetic groups. The mitochondrial complex contains many accessory subunits for which no homologous counterparts exist in the bacterial complex. Genes for 11 of the 14 minimal subunits are also found in the plastidial DNA of plants and in the genome of cyanobacteria. However, genes encoding the 3 subunits of the NADH dehydrogenase part of complex I are apparently missing in these species. The possibility is discussed that chloroplasts and cyanobacteria contain a complex I equipped with a different electron input device. This complex may work as a NAD(P)H: or a ferrodoxin:plastoquinone oxidoreductase participating in cyclic electron transport during photosynthesis.

Soluble F 1 -ATPase and submitochondrial particles are able to bind and to hydrolyze ATP formed from the reversal of the reaction catalyzed by hexokinase: glucose 6-phosphate + ADP = ATP + glucose ( K eq = 5 × 10 −4 ) During steady-state, the P 1 released in the medium is derived from glucose-6-phosphate which continuously regenerates the ATP hydrolyzed. A membrane potential (Δψ) can be built up in submitochondrial particles using glucose-6-phospate and hexokinase as an ATP-regenerating system. The energy derived from the membrane potential thus formed, can be used to promote the energy-dependent transhydrogenation from NADH to NADP + and the uphill electron transfer from succinate to NAD + . In spite of the large differences in the energies of hydrolysis of ATP (ΔG° = −7.0 to −9.0 kcal/mol) and of glucose-6-phosphate (ΔG° = −2.5 kcal/mol), the same ratio bectween P 1 production and either NADPH or NADH formation were measured regardless of whether millimolar concentrations of ATP or a mixture of ADP, glucose-6-phosphate and hexokinase were used. Rat liver mitochondria were able to accumulate Ca 2+ when incubated in a medium containing hexokinase. ADP and glucose-6-phosphate. The different reaction measured with the use of glucose-6-phosphate and hexokinase were inhibited by glucose concentrations varying from 0.2 to 2 mM. Glucose shifts be equilibrium of the reaction towards glucose-6-phosphate formation thus leading to a decrease of the ATP concentration in the medium.

Reducing 2 SH-groups of KGD by dihydrolipoate leads to cooperativity in substrate binding. Cooperative properties of KGD in the KGD complex are modulated by NADH. Physiological significance of these observations is discussed.

The Na+-translocating NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase from Vibrio alginolyticus was extracted from the bacterial membranes and purified by ion exchange chromatographic procedures. The enzyme catalyzed NADH oxidation by suitable electron acceptors, e.g. menadione, and the Na+ and NADH-dependent reduction of ubiquinone-1. Four dominant bands and a number of minor bands were visible on SDS-PAGE that could be part of the enzyme complex. Flavin analyses indicated the presence of FAD but no FMN in the purified enzyme. FAD but no FMN were also present in V. alginolyticus membranes. FAD is therefore a prosthetic group of the Na+-translocating NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase and FMN is not present in the enzyme. The FAD was copurified with the NADH dehydrogenase. The purified enzyme exhibited an absorption spectrum with a maximum at 450 nm that is typical for a flavoprotein. Upon incubation with NADH this absorption disappeared indicating reduction of the enzyme-bound FAD.

The effects of tissue optical absorbance on intracellular NAD(P)H and Indo-1 fluorescence emission have been evaluated in the perfused rabbit heart. These results demonstrate that the tissue optical absorbance significantly modifies the emission characteristics of these fluorophores. This tissue ‘inner filter’ effect, observed with both probes, changed as a function of tissue oxygenation and redox state in a wavelength-dependent manner. Pathlength calculations from these results indicate that this inner filter effect could occur with a mean pathlength of 310 μm due to the extremely high extinction coefficient of heart tissue. It is concluded that tissue optical absorbance significantly affects the fluorescent emission characteristics of both intrinsic and extrinsic probes in the intact heart, under a variety of conditions. Several potential methods of correcting for these tissue inner filter effects are discussed.

The effects of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotides (NADH, NAD+, NADPH) on ryanodine receptor channels (RyRs) from cardiac and skeletal muscle were compared in planar bilayers. NADH decreased cardiac RyR activity, which was counteracted by NAD+. In contrast, NADH and NAD+ both activated skeletal RyRs. NADPH/NADP+ were without effect on cardiac and skeletal RyRs. In the presence of ATP, NADH inhibition of cardiac RyRs remained. Differently, in the presence of ATP both NADH and NAD+ were ineffective as skeletal RyR agonists, suggesting interactions with the ATP binding site(s) of the channels. The results suggest that the direct effect of cytosolic NADH is physiologically important for the modulation of cardiac RyRs.

Respiratory oscillations in continuous yeast cultures can be accounted for by cyclic energization of mitochondria, dictated by the demands of a temperature-compensated ultradian clock with a period of 50 min. Inner mitochondrial membranes show both ultrastructural modifications and electrochemical potential changes. Electron transport components (NADH and cytochromes c and c oxidase) show redox state changes as the organisms cycle between their energized and de-energized phases. These regular cycles are transiently perturbed by uncouplers of energy conservation, with amplitudes more affected than period; that the characteristic period is restored after only one prolonged cycle, indicates that mitochondrial energy generation is not part of the clock mechanism itself, but is responding to energetic requirement.

Previously we reported that in vitro translation activity in extracts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was stimulated by dithiothreitol (DTT) and further increased by the addition of thioredoxin (TRX1) [Choi, S.K. (2007) Thioredoxin-mediated regulation of protein synthesis by redox in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Kor. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 35, 36–40]. To identify the pathway affecting translation, we cloned and purified thioredoxin reductase 1 (TRR1), thioredoxin reductase 2 (TRR2), glutaredoxin 1 (GRX1) and glutaredoxin reductase 1 (GLR1) as fusion proteins. Thioredoxin-mediated activation of translation was more effectively stimulated by NADPH or NADH than by DTT. Moreover, addition of TRR1 led to a further increase of translation in the presence of thioredoxin plus NADPH. These findings indicate that redox control via the thioredoxin–thioredoxin reductase system plays an important role in the regulation of translation.

ESR method was applied to investigate the formation of NADH and NADPH free radicals. It was shown that under the action of light (340 nm) in water and other solutions of these compounds a reaction occurred resulting in the formation of free radicals having the typical ESR spectrum. The analysis of the temperature dependence showed the light-induced ESR signals to be registered at −30°C to −120°C, the most intensive ones being observed at −50°C. It was concluded that the observed ESR signals belonged to the products of one-electron oxidation of the coenzymes-free radicals NAD. and NADP..