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Updated: May 23, 2025
Characterization at the Molecular Level using Robust Biochemical Approaches of a New Kinase Protein
Published on: June 30, 2019
Identification of LIMK1 as a biomarker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: from data mining to validation
Yifei Li1, Congcong Fan1, Feng Jiang1
1Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Cancer Biomarker Discovery and Translation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
Purpose:
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most common types of renal cancer. LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1) reportedly plays an important role in tumorigenesis. However, the involvement of LIMK1 in the progression of ccRCC remains ambiguous.
Methods:
Based on the TCGA and CPTAC databases, the expression of LIMK1 in ccRCC was evaluated. In the TCGA-ccRCC cohort, the relationships between LIMK1 and immune cell infiltration as well as immune checkpoints were assessed. The high expression of LIMK1 in ccRCC was verified by qRT-PCR in four RCC cell lines. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expression of LIMK1 in clinical samples. The association between LIMK1 expression and survival prognosis was explored via Kaplan-Meier survival curve in the TCGA-ccRCC and local cohorts. The effects of LIMK1 knockdown on the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of RCC cells were evaluated via colony, CCK-8, wound healing, and Transwell assays.
Results:
Elevated expression level of LIMK1 was found in the TCGA-ccRCC cohort and was confirmed in RCC cell lines and clinical samples. Up-regulation of LIMK1 was found to be correlated with poor prognosis in TCGA-ccRCC and external cohorts. In addition, high-LIMK1 was associated with clinicopathological stage, immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint in ccRCC. Importantly, knockdown of LIMK1 diminished the capability of proliferation, migration, and invasion in RCC cells.
Conclusion:
LIMK1 may serve as a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of ccRCC.
