title: Targeting NAD+ metabolism in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an essential metabolite utilized as a redox cofactor and enzyme substrate in numerous cellular processes. Elevated NAD+ levels have been observed in red blood cells infected with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, but little is known regarding how the parasite generates NAD+. Here, we employed a mass spectrometry-based metabolomic approach to confirm that P. falciparum lacks the ability to synthesize NAD+ de novo and is reliant on the uptake of exogenous niacin. We characterized several enzymes in the NAD+ pathway and demonstrate cytoplasmic localization for all except the parasite nicotinamidase, which concentrates in the nucleus. One of these enzymes, the P. falciparum nicotinate mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (PfNMNAT), is essential for NAD+ metabolism and is highly diverged from the human homolog, but genetically similar to bacterial NMNATs. Our results demonstrate the enzymatic activity of PfNMNAT in vitro and demonstrate its ability to genetically complement the closely related Escherichia coli NMNAT. Due to the similarity of PfNMNAT to the bacterial enzyme, we tested a panel of previously identified bacterial NMNAT inhibitors and synthesized and screened twenty new derivatives, which demonstrate a range of potency against live parasite culture. These results highlight the importance of the parasite NAD+ metabolic pathway and provide both novel therapeutic targets and promising lead antimalarial compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jessica K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lewis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Kerwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Simon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Cobbold
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bedell
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Reider
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Llinás
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D055432:Metabolomics; D009243:NAD / Q000378:metabolism*; D009612:Nicotinamide-Nucleotide Adenylyltransferase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009243:NAD; D009612:Nicotinamide-Nucleotide Adenylyltransferase; C038480:nicotinic acid mononucleotide adenylyltransferase
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