Transcriptomic effects of nicotinamide nucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 (NMNAT1) deletion on human AML cells

Through integration of whole genome CRISPR screening and pan-cancer genetic dependency mapping, we identified nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) and nicotinamide nucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 (NMNAT1) as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) dependencies governing NAD+ biosynthesis. While both NAMPT and NMNAT1 were required for AML, we found that the presence of NAD+ precursors bypassed the dependence of AML on NAMPT, but not NMNAT1, pointing to NMNAT1 as a gatekeeper of NAD+ biosynthesis. We provide evidence that reduced nuclear NAD+ upon deletion of NMNAT1 activated p53, which is due to attenuated deacetylation by SIRT6/7 in AML cells. Our findings reveal that NAD+ is a critical metabolic foundation for AML, and NMNAT1 is a novel therapeutic target for this disease. Overall design: Gene expression profiling upon CRISPR knockout