BMC Molecular Biology

REVIEW

OPEN ACCESS

Nucleophosmin: from structure and function to disease development

Joseph K. Box,
Nicolas PaquetEmail author,
Mark N. Adams,
Didier Boucher,
Emma Bolderson,
Kenneth J. O’Byrne and
Derek J. RichardEmail author View ORCID ID profile

BMC Molecular BiologyBMC series – open, inclusive and trusted201617:19

DOI: 10.1186/s12867-016-0073-9

Received: 8 May 2016

Accepted: 16 August 2016

Published: 24 August 2016

Abstract

Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is a critical cellular protein that has been implicated in a number of pathways including mRNA transport, chromatin remodeling, apoptosis and genome stability. NPM1 function is a critical requirement for normal cellular biology as is underlined in cancer where NPM1 is commonly overexpressed, mutated, rearranged and sporadically deleted. Consistent with a multifunctional role within the cell, NPM1 can function not only as a proto-oncogene but also as a tumor suppressor. The aim of this review is to look at the less well-described role of NPM1 in the DNA repair pathways as well as the role of NPM1 in the regulation of apoptosis and its mutation in cancers.