ME1 encodes malic enzyme 1, the cytosolic protein that catalyzes the decarboxylation of malate to pyruvate, generating NADPH. ME1 is a key enzyme in the redox balance of the cell, contributes to fatty acid, cholesterol and lipid biosynthesis through the production of NADPH and regulates the flow of carbon through various carbon metabolic pathways inlcuding glycolysis, the citric acid cycle and the aerobic glycolysis of pyruvate to lactate that is characteristic of the Warburg effect (reviewed in Simmen et al, 2020). The ME1 gene has been shown to be a direct target of the NFE2L2 pathway, a key regulator of the anti-oxidant response pathway (Mitsuishi et al, 2012; reviewed in Baird and Yamamoto, 2020).
Yamamoto, M, Baird, L
Motohashi, H, Yamamoto, M, Nukiwa, T, Aburatani, H, Kawatani, Y, Shibata, T, Mitsuishi, Y, Taguchi, K
Simmen, RCM, Alhallak, I, Simmen, FA
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