Abstract
Cyclic ADP-ribose and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate were discovered >2 decades ago. That they are second messengers for mobilizing Ca(2+) stores has since been firmly established. Separate stores and distinct Ca(2+) channels are targeted, with cyclic ADP-ribose acting on the ryanodine receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate mobilizes the endolysosomes via the two-pore channels. Despite the structural and functional differences, both messengers are synthesized by a ubiquitous enzyme, CD38, whose crystal structure and catalytic mechanism have now been well elucidated. How this novel signaling enzyme is regulated remains largely unknown and is the focus of this minireview.