Nuclear distribution gene C （NudC） was first found in Aspergillus nidulans as an upstream regulator of NudF, whose mamma- lian homolog is Lissencephaly 1 （Lisl）. NudC is conserved from fungi to mammals. Vertebrate NudC has three homologs： NudC, NudC-like protein （NudCL）, and NudC-like protein 2 （NudCL2）. All members of the NudC family share a conserved p23 domain, which possesses chaperone activity both in conjunction with and independently of heat shock protein 90 （Hsp90）. Our group and the others found that NudC homologs were involved in cell cycle regulation by stabilizing the components of the LIS l/dynein complex. Additionally, NudC plays important roles in cell migration, ciliogenesis, thrombopoiesis, and the in- flammatory response. It has been reported that NudCL is essential for the stability of the dynein intermediate chain and cilio- genesis via its interaction with the dynein 2 complex. Our data showed that NudCL2 regulates the LISl/dynein pathway by stabilizing LIS 1 with Hsp90 chaperone. The fourth distantly related member of the NudC family, CML66, a tumor-associated antigen in human leukemia, contains a p23 domain and appears to promote oncogenesis by regulating the IGF-1R-MAPK sig- naling pathway. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge of the NudC family and highlight its potential clinical relevance.
