A ROLE FOR Y-BOX PROTEINS IN CELL-PROLIFERATION

Members of the Y-box (YB) family of transcription factors are expresse d in a wide range of cell types and are implicated in the regulation o f a rapidly increasing number of genes. Although the biological activi ties of YB proteins appear to be varied, distinct patterns, relating t o the timing of their expression and the identity of their target gene s, are beginning to emerge. A recent report by Ito ef al.((1)) focusse s attention on cell proliferation and adds support to earlier suggesti ons((2,3)) that a primary function of YB proteins is to help activate growth-associated genes.