Characterization of LIMA1 and its emerging roles and potential therapeutic prospects in cancers

LIMA1 inhibits cisplatin resistance and malignant biological behavior of bladder cancer cells by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the effect of LIM domain and actin binding 1 (LIMA1) on bladder cancer (BCa) cells and to investigate its underlying molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

The expression of LIMA1 gene in clinical BCa tissue samples and BCa cell models was detected using real-time quantitative PCR and western blot. Subsequently, LIMA1 knockdown experiments were performed exclusively in the BCa J82 cell line, while LIMA1 overexpression was conducted only in the cisplatin-resistant J82/CR cell line. The proliferation of the cells was assessed by colony formation assay. Cisplatin resistance was evaluated by MTT assay. Migration and invasion of the cells were tested by Transwell assay. Additionally, the levels of key proteins in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were examined by western blotting.

RESULTS

We found that LIMA1 was underexpressed in BCa tissues and cells (P < 0.01). Overexpression of LIMA1 inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of BCa cells (P < 0.01) and improved their cisplatin resistance (P < 0.01), whereas knocking down LIMA1 produced opposite results (P < 0.01). Furthermore, overexpression of LIMA1 could suppress the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in BCa cells (P < 0.01), and activation of this pathway partially reversed the anti-tumor effects produced by overexpression of LIMA1 (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

LIMA1 could inhibit the malignant biological behavior of BCa cells and weaken their cisplatin resistance by negatively regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Our findings provide new insights for the clinical treatment of BCa.

LIMA1 O-GlcNAcylation Promotes Hepatic Lipid Deposition through Inducing β-catenin-Regulated FASn Expression in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Hepatic lipid deposition is a key factor in progressing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This study investigates the impact of the LIM domain and actin-binding protein 1 (LIMA1) on hepatic steatotic in MASLD and explore the underlying mechanisms. Increased levels of LIMA1 is observed in both serum and serum sEV of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) patients compared to healthy controls, with AUROC values of 0.76 and 0.86, respectively. Furthermore, increased LIMA1 O-GlcNAcylation is observed in mouse models of MASLD, and steatotic hepatocytes. Mechanistic studies revealed that steatosis upregulated Host cell factor 1 (HCF1) and O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) expression, leading to catalyzed O-GlcNAcylation at the T662 site of LIMA1 and subsequent inhibition of its ubiquitin-dependent degradation. O-GlcNAcylation of LIMA1 enhances hepatocyte lipid deposition by activating β-catenin/FASn-associated signaling. Additionally, compared with their AAV8-TBG-LIMA1-WT counterparts, AAV8-TBG-LIMA1ΔT662 injection exhibited decreases in systemic insulin resistance, steatosis severity, inflammation and fibrosis in HFD-fed and CDAHFD-fed LIMA1 HKO (hepatocyte-specific knockout) mice. Moreover, LTH-sEV-mediated delivery of LIMA1 promoted MASLD progression by promoting hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. The findings suggest that serum sEV LIMA1 may be a potential noninvasive biomarker and therapeutic target for individuals with MASH.

LIMA1 Is a Prognostic Senescence-Inhibitory Gene in Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate potential cellular senescence inhibitory genes (CSIGs) and discover novel therapeutic targets in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS

Dysregulated CSIGs were identified based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Human Aging Genomic Resources (HAGR) database. Prognostic value and immune infiltration were assessed through bioinformatic analysis. Cell proliferation was evaluated using CCK-8, Edu assay, and colony formation assays in vitro. Western blotting and real-time PCR were used to evaluate LIMA1 expression. Clinical validation of LIMA1 expression was performed in our validated cohort.

RESULTS

In this study, differential analysis and functional enrichment analysis identified 26 differentially expressed senescence inhibitory genes. Among them, LIMA1 was found to be an independent prognostic marker and associated immune infiltration. Knockdown of LIMA1 inhibited HNSCC cell growth and increased the expression of senescence markers. Further experiments revealed that LIMA1 expression was partially regulated by the IL6/STAT3 signaling pathway. Immunohistochemistry further validated the clinical significance of LIMA1 expression and its association with IL6 and CD8+ T cells in our hospital's HNSCC tissues.

CONCLUSION

LIMA1 is a prognostic senescence-inhibitory gene in HNSCC. The IL6/STAT3/LIMA1 axis represents a novel molecular mechanism underlying cellular senescence resistance in HNSCC.

M6A modification-mediated LIMA1 promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through the wnt-βcatenin/Hippo pathway

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), considered as one of the most common and lethal cancers worldwide, has drawn significant attention from researchers.Extensively studied diverse cancers, the function of LIMA1 in tumorigenesis and cancer progression remains ambiguous.. Moreover, the role of LIMA1 in HCC remains controversial.

METHODS

The expression difference of LIMA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma, which was verified by TMT quantitative proteomics, immunohistochemistry, western blot, and the TCGA database, has been investigated in this study. Demonstrated by using transwell, cck8, sphere formation, and other experiments, the effects of LIMA1 on the migration, proliferation, stemness, and other aspects of hepatocellular carcinoma were significant. Moreover, the effect of LIMA1 on the wnt-βcatenin/Hippo pathway was revealed by using RNA sequencing and western blot, and the relationship between LIMA1 and βcatenin was verified by using COIP. Finally, the effect of m6a modification on LIMA1 was further verified using Western blotting, actinomycin D and MeRip experiments.

RESULTS

In HCC tissues and several HCC cell lines, LIMA1 was expressed at a relatively high level.LIMA1 positively regulated the invasion, migration, proliferation and stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma, and silencing of LIMA1 inhibited the tumorigenic ability of HCC cells in nude mice. Moreover, it was shown that LIMA1 can have an impact on the wnt-β-catenin/Hippo pathway. And silencing β-catenin suppressed the invasion, migration, proliferation and stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma cells mediated by LIMA1. Finally, it was further verified that the activation of LIMA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells is due to m6-methyladenosine methylation that is dependent on METTL3.

CONCLUSIONS

In HCC, LIMA1 functions as a tumor promoter and engages with the WNT-β-catenin and Hippo signaling pathways,, affecting the characteristics of tumor cells. LIMA1 expression is regulated by METTL3-mediated m6A modification, leading to its high expression in HCC. Our research presents a hopeful objective for the detection and therapy of HCC.

Integrative analysis reveals associations between oral microbiota dysbiosis and host genetic and epigenetic aberrations in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

Dysbiosis of the human oral microbiota has been reported to be associated with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) while the host-microbiota interactions with respect to the potential impact of pathogenic bacteria on host genomic and epigenomic abnormalities remain poorly studied. In this study, the mucosal bacterial community, host genome-wide transcriptome and DNA CpG methylation were simultaneously profiled in tumors and their adjacent normal tissues of OSCC patients. Significant enrichment in the relative abundance of seven bacteria species (Fusobacterium nucleatum, Treponema medium, Peptostreptococcus stomatis, Gemella morbillorum, Catonella morbi, Peptoanaerobacter yurli and Peptococcus simiae) were observed in OSCC tumor microenvironment. These tumor-enriched bacteria formed 254 positive correlations with 206 up-regulated host genes, mainly involving signaling pathways related to cell adhesion, migration and proliferation. Integrative analysis of bacteria-transcriptome and bacteria-methylation correlations identified at least 20 dysregulated host genes with inverted CpG methylation in their promoter regions associated with enrichment of bacterial pathogens, implying a potential of pathogenic bacteria to regulate gene expression, in part, through epigenetic alterations. An in vitro model further confirmed that Fusobacterium nucleatum might contribute to cellular invasion via crosstalk with E-cadherin/β-catenin signaling, TNFα/NF-κB pathway and extracellular matrix remodeling by up-regulating SNAI2 gene, a key transcription factor of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our work using multi-omics approaches explored complex host-microbiota interactions and provided important insights into genetic and functional basis in OSCC tumorigenesis, which may serve as a precursor for hypothesis-driven study to better understand the causational relationship of pathogenic bacteria in this deadly cancer.