The Nucleolus: An Overlooked Depth of the Cell

In most people's impression, the nucleus is where DNA is stored, and the nucleolus is just a smaller structure inside it, mainly responsible for producing ribosomes. Years ago, this understanding seemed sufficient. But in cancer research, the nucleolus has gradually revealed a deeper significance.

My doctoral advisor, Professor Harris Busch, noticed early on that the nucleoli in many cancer cells are larger and more irregular than those in normal cells. This phenomenon is not hard to see under a microscope, yet it raised an important question: is the abnormality of the nucleolus merely a result of rapid cancer cell growth, or is it part of how cancer arises and progresses?

Later research showed that the nucleolus is not just a ribosome-producing factory, but is also linked to cellular stress response, cell growth, division regulation, DNA repair, and cell fate. In other words, the nucleolus is like a sensitive regulatory center, able to sense changes inside and outside the cell and translate these signals into concrete cellular behavior. When this center loses balance, it may help cancer cells sustain growth, resist stress, and evade control.

One focus of my research over many years has been the nucleolar protein NPM1/B23. In early studies, we discovered that B23 does not stay fixed within the nucleolus, but can move dynamically between the nucleolus and the nucleus. This finding deepened our understanding that the interior of a cell is not static, but full of continuous regulation and response.

Looking back today, nucleolus research taught me something: life's deepest mysteries are often hidden in the places most easily overlooked. This is true of science, and it is true of life. Many of God's guidances seem small at the time, yet later become the key to an entire journey.