Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels in chick limb mesodermal cells in vitro: effects of 3-acetylpyridine and nicotinamide.

The studies reported here show that in cultures of developing mesodermal cells, chondrogenic expression is associated with a progressive decline in cellular NAD+ levels. Furthermore, reduced cellular NAD+ levels resulting from exposure to the nicotinamide analog 3-acetylpyridine are correlated with a 2- to 100-fold potentiation of chondrogenic expression. Conversely, elevated NAD+ levels resulting from exposure to nicotinamide alone are correlated with inhibition of chondrogenic expression. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that pyridine nucleotides, or some derivative thereof, play a central role in the control of muscle and cartilage development in embryonic chick limbs.