Y-box-binding protein (YB-1) in murine models of hepatic and renal fibrosis

Background: The Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) exerts pleiotropic functions in gene transcription and in translation, e.g. of fibrosis-related genes. Recent in vitro findings point to opposite regulatory effects on fibrogenesis by YB-1 that depend on its subcellular localization. YB-1 might even accomplish opposite functions on gene transcription and mRNA translation of the same gene product, e.g. that of type I collagen (Col1A), a major constituent of the extracellular matrix (ECM) [1]. This led us to in vivo investigations that analyze the outcome of half-maximal YB-1 depletion in a model of liver fibrosis (bi…