Progress of Acetyltransferase Gene Naa10 in Cancer

N-α-terminal acetyltransferase gene 10 (Naa10) is extensively expressed in eukaryotic cells, and its encoded Naa10p is the catalytic subunit of the NatA complex. Naa10p modifies the acetylation of aminophenol residues at the N-terminal-α of nascent protein; it regulates the biological processes such as protein degradation, apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell migration, infiltration and angiogenesis by mediating mTOR, Ca²⁺/MLCK, DNMT1, PGK1 and PIX-protein pathways. Depending on the acetylated substrate, Naa10p also plays a dual role in the regulation of apoptosis. In the present studies, Naa10p is over-expressed in various cancer tissues such as liver cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer, etc.; contrarily, low or non-expressed in paracancerous tissues. It correlates to diverse prognosis of different cancers. Therefore, it could be considered as a novel potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the diagnosis and prognosis of some cancers.