Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides and their precursor NMN have no direct effect on microtubule dynamics in purified brain tubulin

Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal polymers that provide mechanical support for cellular structures, and play important roles in cell division, migration, and intracellular transport. Their intrinsic dynamic instability, primarily controlled by polymerization-dependent GTP hydrolysis, allows for rapid rearrangements of microtubule arrays in response to signaling cues. In neurons, increases in intracellular levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) can protect against microtubule loss and axonal degeneration elicited by axonal transection. The protective effects of NAD(+) on microtubule loss have been shown to be indirect in some systems, for example through the sirtuin-3 pathway. However, it is still possible that NAD(+) and related metabolites have direct effects on microtubule dynamics to promote assembly or inhibit disassembly. To address this question, we reconstituted microtubule dynamics in an in vitro assay with purified bovine brain tubulin and examined the effects of NAD(+), NADH, and NMN. We found that the compounds had only small effects on the dynamics at the plus and minus ends of the microtubules. Furthermore, these effects were not statistically significant. Consequently, our data support earlier findings that NADs and their precursors influence microtubule growth through indirect mechanisms.