Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is currently the most potent endogenous Ca2+ mobilizing second messenger. Upon specific extracellular stimulation, rapid production of NAADP has been observed in different cell types from sea urchin eggs to mammalian cells. More than 20 years after the discovery of NAADP, there is still controversy surrounding its metabolism and target receptors/ion channels and organelles. This article briefly reviews recent developments in the NAADP field. Besides the metabolism of NAADP, this review focuses on assumed organelles and putative targets, e.g. ion channels, with special emphasis on ryanodine receptor type 1 (RyR1) and two-pore channels (TPCs). The role of NAADP as a Ca2+ trigger is also discussed and the importance of NAADP in the formation of initial Ca2+ microdomains is highlighted.
Keywords: NAADP; calcium release; calcium signaling.
© 2018 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2018 The Physiological Society.