Nucleophosmin/B23 is a proliferate shuttle protein associated with nuclear matrix.

It has become obvious that a better understanding and potential elucidation of the nucleolar phosphoprotein B23 involving in functional interrelationship between nuclear organization and gene expression. In present study, protein B23 expression were investigated in the regenerative hepatocytes at different periods (at days 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7) during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy on the rats with immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Another experiment was done with immunolabeling methods and two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis for identification of B23 in the regenerating hepatocytes and HepG2 cells (hepatoblastoma cell line) after sequential extraction with detergents, nuclease, and salt. The results showed that its expression in the hepatocytes had a locative move and quantitative change during the process of liver regeneration post-operation. Its immunochemical localization in the hepatocytes during the process showed that it moved from nucleoli of the hepatocytes in the stationary stage to nucleoplasm, cytoplasm, mitotic spindles, and mitotic chromosomes of the hepatocytes in the regenerating livers. It was quantitatively increased progressively to peak level at day 3 post-operation and declined gradually to normal level at day 7. It was detected in nuclear matrix protein (NMP) composition extracted from the regenerating hepatocytes and HepG2 cells and identified with isoelectric point (pI) value of 5.1 and molecular weight of 40 kDa. These results indicated that B23 was a proliferate shuttle protein involving in cell cycle and cell proliferation associated with nuclear matrix. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.