YB-1 drives preneoplastic progression: Insight into opportunities for cancer prevention

Surprisingly little is known about the underlying genetic events that trigger the progression of a normal cell into a cancerous cell. We recently developed a YB-1-driven model of pre-malignancy where we uncovered that the oncogene promotes genomic instability through cell cycle checkpoint slippage and centrosome amplification. In this research perspective, we describe a possible mechanism by which YB-1 instigates preneoplastic transformation. Using Kinex antibody microarrays with coverage of 800 proteins, we discovered that pre-malignant cells exhibit deregulated signal transduction along the HER2-MAPK-RSK axis. We will discuss the implications of these finding in regard to early intervention strategies.