Boric acid inhibits adenosine diphosphate-ribosyl cyclase non-competitively

Adenosine diphosphate-ribosyl cyclase (ADP-ribosyl cyclase) is a ubiquitous enzyme in eukaryotes that converts NAD+ to cyclic-ADP-ribose (cADPR) and nicotinamide. A quantitative assay for cADPR was developed using capillary electrophoresis to separate NAD+, cADPR, ADP-ribose, and ADP with UV detection (254 nm). Using this assay, the apparent Km and Vmax for Aplysia ADP-ribosyl cyclase were determined to be 1.24 ± 0.05 mM and 131.8 ± 2.0 μM/min, respectively. Boric acid inhibited ADP-ribosyl cyclase non-competitively with a Ki of 40.5 ± 0.5 mM. Boric acid binding to cADPR, determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, was characterized by an apparent binding constant, KA, of 655 ± 99 L/mol at pH 10.3.