Nucleophosmin Plays a Role in Repairing DNA Damage and Is a Target for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is frequently mutated in acute myeloid leukemia, and NPM1 expression is elevated in several cancer types. NPM1 is a multifunctional oligomeric protein involved in numerous cellular functions that include participating in liquid-liquid phase separation, ribosome biogenesis, chaperoning of histones, and modulation of transcription. In this review, we discuss the underappreciated role of NPM1 in DNA damage repair, specifically Polh-mediated translesion synthesis, base excision, and homologous recombination and highlight the therapeutic potential of NPM1 targeting in cancer treatment.