Insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of lysyl oxidase like 1 in cancers

Our plain-English summary of Insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of lysyl oxidase like 1 in cancers, by X. Wang, X. Wang, Y. Li, et al (PeerJ, 2025).

The study

• Authors: X. Wang, X. Wang, Y. Li, D. Zhao, J. He, L. Wang, Z. Li, W. Xiong
• Journal: PeerJ
• Published: 2025;13:e19628
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Cancer is one of the primary causes of human mortality and a significant barrier to increasing human life expectancy. The effective screening, early diagnosis, and treatment of cancer have long been clinical challenges, and thus new biomarkers or molecular targets must be identified to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. Lysyl oxidase like 1 (LOXL1), a secreted copper-dependent amine oxidase, is commonly expressed in a variety of cell types. LOXL1 can maintain the steady state of elastin, engage in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling. LOXL1 has diverse biological functions, and its dysregulation is the basis of many clinical diseases. The abnormal expression or activation of LOXL1 can disrupt the cellular microenvironment, contributing to the development of various diseases, such as atherosclerosis, tissue damage, fibrosis, and cancer. Recent research has revealed that LOXL1 is often overexpressed in a majority of cancers, where it plays a role in regulating tumor growth and metastasis. However, some studies have also suggested that LOXL1 may have a tumor-suppressive function. Research has indicated that the LOXL1 protein is reduced in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and bladder cancer (BLCA), where it acts to suppress tumor growth. Conversely, it is upregulated in human salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pleural mesothelioma (PM), brain glioma, prostate cancer (PRAD), gastric cancer (GC), breast cancer (BC), thyroid carcinoma (THCA), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), and osteosarcoma (OS). The expression of LOXL1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a topic of debate, as it may either be upregulated or downregulated. These findings imply that LOXL1 may have a dual role in cancer, either inhibiting or facilitating carcinogenesis. This article provides a comprehensive review of the structure and function of LOXL1, along with its associations with cancer. Additionally, it explores the role of LOXL1 in tumor microenvironment remodeling, tumorigenesis, metastasis, and the molecular mechanisms that underpin these processes.

©2025 Wang et al.

In plain English

This article was a literature review, not a new study of patients. The authors searched PubMed and Web of Science for "LOXL1" and "Cancer" and selected 76 articles published between January 2011 and December 2024. LOXL1 is an enzyme involved in cross-linking collagen and elastin. Summarizing other researchers' work, the review reported LOXL1 lower than in normal tissue in renal cell carcinoma and bladder cancer but higher in several others, including non-small cell lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Findings in colorectal cancer conflicted. For pleural mesothelioma, it described a 2020 study by Kim et al. that analysed 9 normal pleural and 40 mesothelioma tissue samples and proposed LOX, LOXL1, LOXL2 and ZFPM2 as possible diagnostic markers. The authors also reported, without a detailed protocol or figure, that their own recent RT-qPCR work found significantly higher LOXL1 and LOXL2 mRNA levels in 12 mesothelioma tissues than in matched normal pleura. Asbestos appeared only as background, as the main cause of pleural mesothelioma. The authors concluded that drugs targeting LOXL1 may have therapeutic potential, and said their summary of mechanisms was not comprehensive.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative literature review
• Who was studied: 76 published articles on LOXL1 and cancer, found through PubMed and Web of Science and published between January 2011 and December 2024. No patients or workers were studied directly.
• Exposure: Not an exposure study. The review is about expression of the enzyme LOXL1 in cancers. Asbestos was mentioned only as background, as the main cause of pleural mesothelioma.
• Main results:
  • Summarizing published studies, the review reported LOXL1 expression reduced in renal cell carcinoma and bladder cancer and elevated in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma and other cancers, compared with adjacent or normal tissue
  • In a study by Kim et al. (2020) described in the review, nine normal pleural tissue samples and 40 pleural mesothelioma tissue samples were analysed by quantitative PCR. LOX, LOXL1, LOXL2 and ZFPM2 were proposed as possible diagnostic markers for pleural mesothelioma.
  • The authors reported that their own recent RT-qPCR work found LOXL1 and LOXL2 mRNA levels significantly higher in 12 pleural mesothelioma tissues than in matched normal pleural tissues. They also reported that increased LOXL1 and LOXL2 expression, along with tumor type, were independent factors associated with poor prognosis. Apart from naming RT-qPCR, no detailed protocol, figure or statistics were given.
  • Published studies on colorectal cancer disagreed: some reported reduced LOXL1 and others reported elevated LOXL1
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that drugs targeting LOXL1 may offer therapeutic potential for preventing and treating tumor metastasis, and that inhibitors specific to LOXL1 are needed
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Research on how the LOX family influences tumor progression is still insufficient, so the review's summary of mechanisms is not comprehensive
  • More studies are needed because LOXL1 expression differs by tissue, location and time

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Life Expectancy, Biomarker, Fibrosis, Metastasis, Carcinoma, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Pleural Mesothelioma, Stomach Cancer.

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