Abstract
The Y-box-binding protein 1 (YBX1) plays a critical role in tumorigenesis by promoting cell proliferation, overriding cell-cycle check points, and enhancing genomic instability. In this study, the interactome of YBX1 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was analyzed by coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to better understand its function and regulatory mechanism. A total of 129 proteins were identified as potential YBX1 binding partners. The interaction between the complement component 1, q subcomponent binding protein (C1QBP), and YBX1 was further confirmed by immunoprecipitation and Western blotting. Knockdown of C1QBP enhanced the phosphorylation of YBX1and its nuclear translocation, indicating that C1QBP negatively regulated YBX1 activation. The clinical significance of these two proteins was analyzed in the tissues from 52 RCC patients by immunohistochemistry. Expression of YBX1 was markedly elevated in the carcinoma tissues, and its nuclear expression was associated with histological T stage and metastasis. Meanwhile, the level of C1QBP in the carcinoma tissues was significantly lower than that in the adjacent healthy tissues, which was negatively correlated with the nuclear localization of YBX1 in the RCC tissues (P = 0.011). These data suggest that C1QBP is a novel regulator of YBX1, and the expression of C1QBP and the nuclear expression of YBX1 could both be used as independent prognostic makers for cancer progression in the RCC patients. The proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001493.