Role of nucleophosmin in embryonic development and tumorigenesis

Nucleophosmin is an oestrogen-regulated nucleolar protein that has been implicated in a number of cancers including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of diseases characterized by overproduction of blood cells in the bone marrow. Now a role for nucleophosmin has been identified in normal cells: it is essential for normal embryonic development and, specifically, for the control of centrosome duplication and genomic stability. Loss of the Npm1 gene in mice produces features similar to those seen in MDS patients.