摘要
Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (NAMPT, EC 2.4.2.12), a pleiotropic protein, is a key enzyme for cellular NAD synthesis and may function as a growth factor or cytokine. Dysregulation of NAMPT gene expression has been implicated in several human diseases. In recent years, an increasing attention has been drawn to NAMPT’s role in the pathogenesis of cancer and its value as a therapeutic target in cancer therapy. A molecular nutrition link between NAMPT and cancer looms large among the scientific findings. This review article will be centered on this theme. We will summarize the genomic discoveries of NAMPT in cancer and the current understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying NAMPT in the pathogenesis of cancer, especially on a molecular nutrition link. We will also synopsize several small molecule inhibitors of NAMPT and their potential therapeutic utilities in cancer and usher in some terra incognita of future researches on NAMPT in cancer.
