The NEET proteins mitoNEET (mNT) and nutrient-deprivation autophagy factor-1 (NAF-1) are required for cancer cell proliferation and resistance to oxidative stress.
MitoNEET (mNEET) is a dimeric mitochondrial outer membrane protein implicated in many facets of human pathophysiology, notably diabetes and cancer, but its molecular function remains poorly characterized.
While there has been growing interest in the homodimeric gene products of CISD1 (mitoNEET) and CISD2 (NAF-1), the importance of the inner mitochondrial CISD3 protein has only recently been recognized in cancer.
MitoNEET is a CDGSH iron-sulfur protein that has been a target for drug development for diseases such as type-2 diabetes, cancer, and Parkinson's disease.