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Emerging role of nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1) in cancer biology

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Abstract

NUPR1, or p8 or com1, was first identified from rat pancreas during acute pancreatitis and later as a gene whose expression was upregulated in metastatic breast cancer cells. NUPR1 is a molecule whose expression is upregulated in response to stress and is hence influenced by the host microenvironment. While NUPR1 has been implicated in several diseases, there is no singular biochemical pathway that can be attributed to its role in cancer. NUPR1 has been found to aid the establishment of metastasis and to play a key role in the progression of several malignancies including those of breast, thyroid, brain and pancreas. NUPR1 has been implicated in inducing chemoresistance in pancreatic and breast cancer cells, protecting them from apoptosis and making tumor cells genetically unstable. In prostate cancer, however, NUPR1 appears to have tumor suppressive activity. Understanding the mechanism of action of the multifaceted functions of NUPR1 may open up new dimensions towards creating novel therapies against cancer as well as other pathologies. This review draws on several published studies on NUPR1, mainly in cancer biology, and assesses NUPR1 from the perspective of its functional role in making cancer cells resistant to the action of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs.

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Abbreviations

NUPR1:

Nuclear protein 1

NLS:

Nuclear localization signal

NES:

Nuclear export signal

MEF:

Mouse embryonic fibroblasts

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, MCI 3018, 1660 Springhill Avenue, Mobile, AL, 36604, USA

    Uttio Roy Chowdhury, Rajeev S. Samant, Oystein Fodstad & Lalita A. Shevde

  2. Norwegian Radium Hospital Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Faculty Division, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    Oystein Fodstad

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  1. Uttio Roy Chowdhury
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  2. Rajeev S. Samant
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Chowdhury, U.R., Samant, R.S., Fodstad, O. et al. Emerging role of nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1) in cancer biology. Cancer Metastasis Rev 28, 225–232 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-009-9183-x

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