The nitrilase which occurs abundantly in cells of Rhodococcus rhodochrous J1 catalyzes the direct hydrolysis of 3-cyanopyridine to nicotinic acid without forming nicotinamide. By using resting cells, the reaction conditions for nicotinic acid production were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, 100% of the added 3-cyanopyridine could be converted to nicotinic acid, the highest yield achieve...

SMCT (sodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporter; slc5a8) is a Na+-coupled transporter for lactate, pyruvate and short-chain fatty acids. Similar to these already known substrates of SMCT, the water-soluble B-complex vitamin nicotinic acid also exists as a monocarboxylate anion (nicotinate) under physiological conditions. Therefore we evaluated the ability of SMCT to mediate the uptake of nicot...

This study reveals mechanisms in the mouse hippocampus that may underlie nicotinic influences on attention, memory, and cognition. Induction of synaptic plasticity, arising via generally accepted mechanisms, is modulated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Properly timed nicotinic activity at pyramidal neurons boosted the induction of long-term potentiation via presynaptic and postsynaptic pa...

Inhibitor of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase APO866 is a promising cancer drug currently in phase II clinical trials in oncology. Here, we present a strategy for increasing the therapeutic potential of APO866 through the rescue of normal tissues by coadministration of nicotinic acid (Vitamin B(3)). We examined the toxicity profile of APO866 in B6D2F1 mice and the effect of oral administr...

Nicotinic receptors containing alpha7 subunits are widely distributed in the central nervous system and are thought to be involved in a number of functions. However, it has been difficult to study alpha7-containing receptors in vivo because of a paucity of selective agonists. A new spirooxazolidinone compound, AR-R17779, was recently described as potent agonist at alpha7 receptors, but electrop...

Barbara Upmeier, Jürgen E. Thomzik*, and Wolfgang Barz Lehrstuhl für Biochemie der Pflanzen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Hindenburgplatz 55, D-4400 Münster, Bundesrepublik Deutschland Z. Naturforsch. 43c, 835 -842 (1988); received August 1/September 30, 1988 Petroselinum hortense, Umbelliferae, Plant Cell Cultures, Nicotinic Acid, Nicotinic Acid-Nglucoside A soluble enzyme cataly...

It has now been firmly established that mammals and Neurospora are able to convert tryptophan to nicotinic acid via a biosynthetic pathway which contains several well characterized intermediate compounds (2). However, evidence has been accumulating which indicates that in bacteria the biosynthesis of nicotinic acid is accomplished by a different pathway. Volcani and Snell (3) demonstrated that ...