Phosphorylation and changes in the distribution of nucleolin promote tumor metastasis via the PI3K/Akt pathway in colorectal carcinoma

• VEGF regulates nucleolin distribution and phosphorylation in colorectal carcinoma through the PI3K/Akt pathway.
• Nucleolin interacts with the phospho-PI3K-p55 subunit.
• The distribution of nucleolin is related to tumor metastasis.
• Blocking of cell surface nucleolin inhibits the process of EMT.
• Nucleolin may serve as a useful marker for diagnosis and a potential therapeutic target of colorectal carcinoma.

Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the changes in the distribution of nucleolin. Our study identified PI3K/Akt signaling as an essential pathway regulating the distribution of nucleolin. Furthermore, nucleolin can interact with phospho-PI3K-p55, and changes in the distribution of nucleolin were related to its phosphorylation. Subsequently, we analyzed the correlation of VEGF and nucleolin, and found that distribution of nucleolin related to metastatic potential. Finally, blocking cell surface nucleolin influences the process of epithelial–mesenchymal transitions. This indicates that nucleolin may be a novel cancer therapy target and a predictive marker for tumor migration in colorectal carcinoma.