Intracellular nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (iNampt) is an essential enzyme in the NAD biosynthetic pathway. An extracellular form of this protein (eNampt) has been reported to act as a cytokine named PBEF or an insulin-mimetic hormone named visfatin, but its physiological relevance remains controversial. Here we show that eNampt does not exert insulin-mimetic effects in vitro or in vivo but rather exhibits robust NAD biosynthetic activity. Haplodeficiency and chemical inhibition of Nampt cause defects in NAD biosynthesis and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic islets in vivo and in vitro. These defects are corrected by administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a product of the Nampt reaction. A high concentration of NMN is present in mouse plasma, and plasma eNampt and NMN levels are reduced in Nampt heterozygous females. Our results demonstrate that Nampt-mediated systemic NAD biosynthesis is critical for beta cell function, suggesting a vital framework for the regulation of glucose homeostasis.

SFTS has been endemic to Japan, and SFTSV has been circulating naturally within the country.

SUMMARY The mammalian Sir2 ortholog Sirt1 plays an important role in metabolic regulation. However, the role of Sirt1 in the regulation of aging and longevity is still controversial. Here we demonstrate that brain-specific Sirt1-overexpressing (BRASTO) transgenic mice show significant life span extension in both males and females, and aged BRASTO mice exhibit phenotypes consistent with a delay in aging. These phenotypes are mediated by enhanced neural activity specifically in the dorsomedial and lateral hypothalamic nuclei (DMH and LH, respectively), through increased orexin type 2 receptor (Ox2r) expression. We identified Nk2 homeobox 1 (Nkx2-1) as a novel partner of Sirt1 that upregulates Ox2r transcription and colocalizes with Sirt1 in the DMH and LH. DMH/LH-specific knockdown of Sirt1, Nkx2-1, or Ox2r and DMH-specific Sirt1 overexpression further support the role of Sirt1/Nkx2-1/Ox2r-mediated signaling for longevity-associated phenotypes. Our findings indicate the importance of DMH/LH-predominant Sirt1 activity in the regulation of aging and longevity in mammals.

Highlights d Circulating levels of eNAMPT decline with age in both mice and humans d Increasing eNAMPT promotes NAD + , counteracts aging, and extends healthspan in mice d eNAMPT is contained exclusively in extracellular vesicles (EVs) in mice and humans d Supplementing eNAMPT in EVs improves physical activity

SummaryThe Sir2 ( s ilent i nformation r egulator 2) family of NADdependent deacetylases regulates aging and longevity across a wide variety of organisms, including yeast, worms, and flies. In mammals, the Sir2 ortholog Sirt1 promotes fat mobilization, fatty acid oxidation, glucose production, and insulin secretion in response to nutrient availability. We previously reported that an increased dosage of Sirt1 in pancreatic β β β β cells enhances glucosestimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and improves glucose tolerance in beta cell-specific Sirt1-overexpressing (BESTO) transgenic mice at 3 and 8 months of age. Here, we report that as this same cohort of BESTO mice reaches 18-24 months of age, the GSIS regulated by Sirt1 through repression of Ucp2 is blunted. Increased body weight and hyperlipidemia alone, which are observed in aged males and also induced by a Western-style high-fat diet, are not enough to abolish the positive effects of Sirt1 on β β β β cell function. Interestingly, plasma levels of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), an important metabolite for the maintenance of normal NAD biosynthesis and GSIS in β β β β cells, are significantly reduced in aged BESTO mice. Furthermore, NMN administration restores enhanced GSIS and improved glucose tolerance in the aged BESTO females, suggesting that Sirt1 activity decreases with advanced age due to a decline in systemic NAD biosynthesis. These findings provide insight into the age-dependent regulation of Sirt1 activity and suggest that enhancement of systemic NAD biosynthesis and Sirt1 activity in tissues such as β β β β cells may be an effective therapeutic intervention for age-associated metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes.