Description
Product Characteristics: Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt, pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor, PBEF, Visfatin) is an 52 kDa adipokine secreted by adipose tissue and involved in the biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Two forms of Nampt exist, an intracellular form (iNampt) and an extracellular form (eNampt). While the function of iNampt as an essential and rate-limiting NAD+ biosynthetic enzyme is well established, the physiological role of eNampt is still a matter of debate. Nampt has various functions, including the promotion of vascular smooth muscle cell maturation and inhibition of neutrophil apoptosis. It activates insulin receptor and has insulin-mimetic effects, lowering blood glucose and improving insulin sensitivity. The protein is highly expressed in visceral fat and serum levels of the protein correlate with obesity.
Target Information: This gene encodes a protein that catalyzes the condensation of nicotinamide with 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate to yield nicotinamide mononucleotide, one step in the biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. The protein belongs to the nicotinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (NAPRTase) family and is thought to be involved in many important biological processes, including metabolism, stress response and aging. This gene has a pseudogene on chromosome 10. [provided by RefSeq, Feb 2011]