The multiple properties and functions of nucleolin

Abstract

Nucleolin, one of the most abundant proteins of the nucleolus is a fascinating protein with multiple proposed functions within and outside the nucleoli. Since its discovery almost 40 years ago, it was proposed that nucleolin is involved in ribosome biogenesis but until recently the molecular mechanisms of this involvement were not known. Thanks to the development of new research strategies, it is now clear that nucleolin is an essential protein for RNA polymerase I transcription, ribosome assembly, cell cycle, and cell proliferation, but the mechanisms of these functions have just begun to be unraveled. In this review, we highlight the most recent data on nucleolin's properties and functions in the nucleolus and nucleoplasm. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.