Background: YB-1 is a multifunctional protein that affects transcription, splicing, and translation. Results: ⌬Np63␣, the main p63 protein isoform, interacts with YB-1 and affects YB-1 subcellular localization and regulation of cell survival and motility genes. Conclusion: ⌬Np63␣ and YB-1 interaction inhibits epithelial to mesenchymal transition and tumor cell motility. Significance: This is the first demonstration of a physical and functional interaction between YB-1 and ⌬Np63␣ oncoproteins.
The prototype cold-shock Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) is a multifunctional protein that regulates a variety of fundamental biological processes including cell proliferation and migration, DNA damage, matrix protein synthesis and chemotaxis. The plethora of functions assigned to YB-1 is strictly dependent on its subcellular localization. In resting cells, YB-1 localizes to cytoplasm where it is a component of messenger ribonucleoprotein particles. Under stress conditions, YB-1 contributes to the formation of stress granules (SGs), cytoplasmic foci where untranslated messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are sorted or processed for reinitiation, degradation, or packaging into ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs). Following DNA damage, YB-1 translocates to the nucleus and participates in DNA repair thereby enhancing cell survival. Recent data show that YB-1 can also be secreted and YB-1-derived polypeptides are found in plasma of patients with sepsis and malignancies. Here we show that in response to oxidative insults, YB-1 assembly in SGs is associated with an enhancement of YB-1 protein secretion. An enriched fraction of extracellular YB-1 (exYB-1) significantly inhibited proliferation of receiving cells and such inhibition was associated to a G2/M cell cycle arrest, induction of p21WAF and reduction of ΔNp63α protein level. All together, these data show that acute oxidative stress causes sustained release of YB-1 as a paracrine/autocrine signal that stimulate cell cycle arrest.
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) typically lack somatic oncogene-activating mutations and most of them contain p53 mutations. However, the presence of p53 mutations in skin premalignant lesions suggests that these represent early events during tumor progression and additional alterations may be required for SCC development. SCC cells frequently express high levels of ΔNp63α and Y-box binding 1 (YB-1 or YBX1) oncoproteins. Here, we show that knockdown of YB-1 in spontaneously immortalized HaCaT and non-metastatic SCC011 cells led to a dramatic decrease of ΔNp63α, cell detachment and death. In highly metastatic SCC022 cells, instead, YB-1 silencing induces PI3K/AKT signaling hyperactivation which counteracts the effect of YB-1 depletion and promotes cell survival. In summary, our results unveil a functional cross-talk between YB-1, ΔNp63α and the PI3K/AKT pathway critically governing survival of squamous carcinoma cells.
Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX-1 or YB-1) is an oncoprotein that promotes replicative immortality, tumor cell invasion and metastasis. The increase in the abundance of YB-1 in the cell or YB-1 translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus is characteristic of malignant cell growth. We have previously reported that DNp63a, a transcription factor that is known to play a pivotal role in keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, promotes YB-1 nuclear accumulation. Here, we show that YB-1 is highly expressed in proliferating keratinocytes and is down-regulated during keratinocyte differentiation. DNp63a reduces YB-1 protein turnover and leads to accumulation of ubiquitin-conjugated YB-1 into the nucleus. Reduction of YB-1 protein level, following treatment with a DNA-damaging agent, is inhibited by DNp63a suggesting that YB-1 and DNp63a interplay can support keratinocyte proliferation and protect cells from apoptosis under genotoxic stress.
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