Abstract
The Y-box binding protein (YB-1) represents the most evolutionary conserved nucleic acid binding protein. YB-1 is a member of the cold shock domain (CSD) protein family. The eukaryotic Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) is involved in the transcriptional and translational control of many biological processes including cell proliferation. In clinical studies, the cellular level of YB-1 has been shown to correlate with tumor growth and prognosis in cancers of the ovary, lung, and breast. Eukaryotic Y-box proteins also regulate gene expression at the translational level through their recognition of RNA, and therefore play critical roles in both mRNA turnover and translational control. YB-1 knockout mice show embryonic lethal and exhibit exencephaly associated with abnormal patterns of cell proliferation within the neuroepithelium. In this review, we will begin by briefly describing the characteristics of YB-1 and will then summarize the pleiotropic functions brought about via DNA-RNA transaction and proteinprotein interactions.
