IntroductionThe tumor suppressor kinase liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is known to regulate the activity of the metabolic sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK),...

Cell Research - LKB1 inactivation promotes epigenetic remodeling-induced lineage plasticity and antiandrogen resistance in prostate cancer

YouTube video by Led Zeppelin

YouTube video by Led Zeppelin

Oncogene - Transcriptional reprogramming triggered by neonatal UV radiation or Lkb1 loss prevents BRAFV600E-induced growth arrest in melanocytes

Harnessing the power of immune system to treat cancer has become a core clinical approach. However, rewiring of intrinsic circuitry by genomic alterations enables tumor cells to escape immune surveillance, leading to therapeutic failure. Uncovering the molecular basis of how tumor mutations induce therapeutic resistance may guide the development of intervention approaches to advance precision immunotherapy. Here we report the identification of the Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1)-Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (IAP)- Janus Kinase 1 (JAK1) dynamic complex as a molecular determinant for immune response of LKB1-mut lung cancer cells. LKB1 alteration exposes a critical dependency of lung cancer cells on IAP for their immune resistance. Indeed, pharmacological inhibition of IAP re-establishes JAK1-regulated Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) expression and DNA sensing signaling, enhances cytotoxic immune cell infiltration, and augmentes immune-dependent anti-tumor activity in an LKB1-mutant immun

Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is a multitasking tumor suppressor kinase that is implicated in multiple malignancies such as lung, gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and ...

Sun et al. report that high-dose ascorbic acid selectively induces pyroptosis in lung cancer with LKB1 deficiency via the ROS-caspase-3-GSDME axis. This promotes dendritic cell activation and progenitor-exhausted T cell expansion, ultimately sensitizing immunotherapy in LKB1-deficient lung cancer.

Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is a multitasking tumor suppressor kinase that is implicated in multiple malignancies such as lung, gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and ...

Genetic alterations to serine-threonine kinase 11 (STK11) have been implicated in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and tumorigenesis. Further exploration of the…

Cachexia is a wasting syndrome involving adipose, muscle, and body weight loss in cancer patients. Tumor loss-of-function mutations in STK11/LKB1, a regulator of AMP-activated protein kinase, induce cancer cachexia (CC) in preclinical models and are linked to weight loss in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This study examines the role of the integrated stress response (ISR) cytokine growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) in regulating cachexia using patient-derived and engineered STK11/LKB1-mutant NSCLC lines. Tumor cell-derived serum GDF15 levels are elevated in mice bearing these tumors. Treatment with a GDF15-neutralizing antibody or silencing GDF15 from tumor cells prevents adipose/muscle loss, strength decline, and weight reduction, identifying tumors cells as the GDF15 source. Restoring wild-type STK11/LKB1 in NSCLC lines with endogenous STK11/LKB1 loss reverses the ISR and reduces GDF15 expression rescuing the cachexia phenotype. Collectively, these findings implic