Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Aug 15, 2026; 18(8): 122057
Published online Aug 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.122057
Published online Aug 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.122057
Nuclear localization of proteasome subunit beta 5 serves as an independent prognostic biomarker and promotes invasion in colorectal cancer
Ai-Ping Xu, Jia Lang, Jing-Fang Yuan, Yuan-Feng Zeng, Department of Pathology, Jiangxi Provincial People’s Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
Shi-Pei She, People’s Clinical Medical College, Nanchang University Jiangxi Medical College, Nancang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
Yi-Sheng Xiao, College of Chinese Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nan
Co-first authors: Ai-Ping Xu and Shi-Pei She.
Author contributions: Xu AP, She SP, Xiao YS, Lang J, and Yuan JF performed the experiments; Xu AP and She SP analyzed the data, and they contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors; Xiao YS contributed to the statistical analysis; Zeng YF conceived and designed the study, drafted the manuscript and revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: During the preparation of this manuscript, the AI tool DeepSeek (specifically DeepSeek-V3.1-Terminus) was used solely for language polishing and formatting assistance. No AI tool was involved in the generation of research data, interpretation of results, or formulation of conclusions. All AI-generated suggestions were critically reviewed and revised by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81960432 and No. 82460599; Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation, No. 20232BAB206091; and Health Commission Science and Technology Program of Jiangxi Province, No. 202410164.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Jiangxi Provincial People’s Hospital [Approval No. KeKuai-2024-(15)].
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The data are not publicly available due to patient privacy and institutional restrictions.
Corresponding author: Yuan-Feng Zeng, PhD, Chief, Chief Physician, Director, Full Professor, Department of Pathology, Jiangxi Provincial People’s Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, No. 152 Aiguo Road, Donghu District, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China. zyf760928@163.com
Received: April 9, 2026
Revised: May 16, 2026
Accepted: June 22, 2026
Published online: August 15, 2026
Processing time: 121 Days and 6.5 Hours
Revised: May 16, 2026
Accepted: June 22, 2026
Published online: August 15, 2026
Processing time: 121 Days and 6.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This is the first study to investigate the subcellular localization of proteasome subunit beta (PSMB) 5 in colorectal cancer (CRC). We demonstrate that nuclear PSMB5 localization, rather than total PSMB5 expression, serves as an independent prognostic biomarker for poor overall survival in CRC patients. Functional assays show that PSMB5 silencing significantly impairs CRC cell invasion and migration. Notably, metastatic CRC cell lines exhibit higher nuclear-to-cytoplasmic PSMB5 ratios than non-metastatic counterparts. These findings establish nuclear-localized PSMB5 as a novel prognostic indicator and a potential therapeutic target in CRC.