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Updated: Mar 3, 2026

Monitoring Neuronal Survival via Longitudinal Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: January 19, 2019
NMNAT: It's an NAD+ synthase… It's a chaperone… It's a neuroprotector
Jennifer M Brazill1, Chong Li1, Yi Zhu1
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
Abstract:
Nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyl transferases (NMNATs) are a family of highly conserved proteins indispensable for cellular homeostasis. NMNATs are classically known for their enzymatic function of catalyzing NAD+ synthesis, but also have gained a reputation as essential neuronal maintenance factors. NMNAT deficiency has been associated with various human diseases with pronounced consequences on neural tissues, underscoring the importance of the neuronal maintenance and protective roles of these proteins. New mechanistic studies have challenged the role of NMNAT-catalyzed NAD+ production in delaying Wallerian degeneration and have specified new mechanisms of NMNAT's chaperone function critical for neuronal health. Progress in understanding the regulation of NMNAT has uncovered a neuronal stress response with great therapeutic promise for treating various neurodegenerative conditions.
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