Title:Nampt/Visfatin/PBEF: A Functionally Multi-faceted Protein with a Pivotal Role in Malignant Tumors
Volume: 18
Issue: 37
Author(s): He Jieyu, Tu Chao, Li Mengjun, Wang Shalong, Guan Xiaomei, Lin Jianfeng and Li Zhihong
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Nampt, visfatin, PBEF, malignant tumors, mechanism, angiogenesis, therapy, NAD+ biosynthesis, energy metabolism, clinical trials.
Abstract: Nampt/Visfatin/PBEF is a primary, rate-limiting enzyme involved in NAD+ biosynthesis, which serves as a pivotal substance
for proteins, and is required for cell growth, survival, DNA replication and repair and energy metabolism. Growing researches have elucidated
that it is a pleiotropic protein that functions not only as an enzyme, but also as an adipocytokin, a growth factor, and a cytokine.
Additionally, accumulated evidences indicate that Nampt is correlated to various malignant tumors, and complicated mechanisms are
proposed to be involved in the carcinogenesis, progression, invasion and metastasis of it, including regulation of energy metabolism and
genome instability, promotion of proliferation, angiogenesis, and tumor-promoting inflammation, resistance in cell death and avoidance
of immune destruction. APO866 and CHS-828 are recognized inhibitors of Nampt, known to block the intracellular and extracellular
NAD+ synthesis pathway. Both of them are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of various malignant tumors and have been shown
to represent novel promising antitumor chemotherapeutic agents.
