Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase and metastasis: a new player in cancer therapeutics

It has long been established that cancer cells undergo a metabolic transformation, called the Warburg effect, in which neoplastic cells rely predominantly upon glycolysis for their metabolic needs, with an associated decrease in reliance upon the mitochondria for ATP synthesis. This metabolic shift shuttles glycolysis intermediates into pathways for the formation of components required for tumour growth, such as the pentose phosphate pathway and lipid synthesis.