Pathological degeneration of axons disrupts neural circuits and represents one of the hallmarks of neurodegeneration1,2,3,4. Sterile alpha and Toll/interleukin-1 receptor motif-containing protein 1 (SARM1) is a central regulator of this neurodegenerative process5,6,7,8, and its Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain exerts its pro-neurodegenerative action through NADase activity9,10. However, the mechanisms by which the activation of SARM1 is stringently controlled are unclear. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of full-length SARM1 proteins. We show that NAD+ is an unexpected ligand of the armadillo/heat repeat motifs (ARM) domain of SARM1. This binding of NAD+ to the ARM domain facilitated the inhibition of the TIR-domain NADase through the domain interface. Disruption of the NAD+-binding site or the ARM–TIR interaction caused constitutive activation of SARM1 and thereby led to axonal degeneration. These findings suggest that NAD+ mediates self-inhibition of this central pro-neurodegenerative protein.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2862-z