NBR2 and cancer: Thus, AMPK/NBR2 forms a feed-forward loop to sustain AMPK activation in response to energy stress, which is a protective factor for normal cells to resist tumors.36, 37 Indeed, NBR2 expression is reduced in human cancers, and loss of its function is correlated with poor prognosis for cancer patients.36, 38, 39 This study serves as an interesting example illustrating that lncRNAs can regulate protein activation through direct binding.