Stress-inducible Protein p8 Is Involved in Several Physiological and Pathological Processes

p8 (NUPR1 (nuclear protein-1), Com1 (candidate of metastasis-1)) is a protein related to the high mobility group of transcriptional regulators. It is a key player in the cellular stress response and is involved in metastasis. p8 was first identified as a gene induced in pancreatitis but has been since found overexpressed in several cancers and pathological conditions. Despite its small size and apparently simple structure, p8 functions in several biochemical and genetic pathways, and its expression is crucial for in vivo metastasis in mice, for cytokine induction of metalloproteases, and for stress-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Understanding p8 functions will provide new opportunities for developing more effective therapeutic approaches to cancer and cardiovascular diseases.