The role of nicotinamide riboside metabolism in pancreatic beta cells

Pancreatic beta cells play a major role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis by secreting insulin in response to elevated blood glucose levels. A gradual deterioration of functional beta cell mass and the chronic elevation of blood glucose levels are central to development of type 2 diabetes. While the etiologies of Type 2 diabetes and age-related metabolic complications are complex, they are often associated with a decline of intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). NAD+ levels are maintained through the balance between its synthesis from NAD+ precursors and its degradation by several families of enzymes, including the sirtuin family of protein deacetylases, the ADP-ribosyl transferase enzymes (ARTDs or PARPs) and cADP ribose hydrolases (CD38). NAD+ declines are mostly associated with increased NAD+ consumption, which can be counteracted by dietary supplementation of NAD+ precursors. However, our knowledge on how different tissues utilize and respond to different NAD+ precursors for NAD+ synthesis is still incomplete. This, in turn, limits our ability to provide therapeutic benefits in clinical settings. In this project, we aim to understand the relevance of a particular NAD+ precursor, nicotinamide riboside (NR), in beta cell physiology and its potential use to treat beta cell dysfunction. To do so, we have used mice that are deficient for nicotinamide riboside kinase 1 (NRK1), the first and rate-limiting enzyme for the transformation of NR into NAD+. We demonstrate that NRK1 whole body knockout mice exhibit impaired insulin secretion after a meal or upon glucose challenge when fed a high fat diet. However, NRK1 deficiency in beta cell was not the causality for beta cell failure as differences observed in the NRK1 whole body KO mice were not phenocopied in NRK1 beta cell specific KO mice. Aged NRK1 whole body KO mice also exhibited dysfunctional beta cells and significant loss of insulin content and beta cell mass. Furthermore, NRK1 deficiency exacerbates the decline of NAD+ bioavailability and mitochondria function with age, even promoting fibrosis in multiple tissues. Together, our data suggests that endogenous NR metabolism is critical in maintaining whole body NAD+ homeostasis and to protect against mitochondria dysfunction and stress-related cell responses in pancreatic beta cells.