Linking NAADP to Ion Channel Activity: A Unifying Hypothesis

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is a potent Ca2+-releasing second messenger that might regulate different ion channels, including the ryanodine receptor, two-pore channels, and TRP-ML1 (transient receptor potential channel, subtype mucolipin 1), a Ca2+ channel localized to lysosomes. New evidence suggests that a 22- and 23-kilodalton pair of proteins could be the receptor for NAADP. Labeling of NAADP binding proteins was independent of overexpression or knockout of two-pore channels, indicating that two-pore channels, although regulated by NAADP, are not the NAADP receptors. I propose that NAADP binding proteins could bind to different ion channels and thus may explain how NAADP regulates diverse ion channels.