The Structure and Functions of NPM1/Nucleophsmin/B23, a Multifunctional Nucleolar Acidic Protein

NPM1/Nucleophosmin/B23, also termed NO38 or numatrin, is an acidic nucleolar protein that plays multiple roles in cell growth and proliferation. In general, the expression level of B23 is proportional to the cell growth rate, suggesting that it plays a positive role(s) in cell growth and proliferation. It is important to note that the deletion of the B23 gene and expression of an aberrant type of this gene--caused by gene conversion via translocation or reading-frame shift via nucleotides insertion-have been observed in diverse haematopoietic malignancies. Thus, it is important to understand the function of B23 in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. In addition, B23 has been reported to undergo a variety of post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, SUMOylation, acetylation and poly-(ADP-ribosyl)ation. In this review, the basic structure and functions of B23 as well as the regulation of these functions are summarized.