Lysocardiolipin acyltransferase regulates NSCLC cell proliferation and migration by modulating mitochondrial dynamics.

Lysocardiolipin acyltransferase (LYCAT), a cardiolipin (CL)-remodeling enzyme, is crucial for maintaining normal mitochondrial function and vascular development. Despite the well-characterized role for LYCAT in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics, it's involvement in lung cancer, if any, remains incompletely understood. In this study, in silico analysis of TCGA lung cancer datasets revealed a significant increase in LYCAT expression, which was later corroborated in human lung cancer tissues and immortalized lung cancer cell lines via indirect immunofluorescence and immunoblotting, respectively. Stable knockdown of LYCAT in NSCLC cell lines not only reduced CL and increased monolyso CL levels but also reduced in vivo tumor growth, as determined by xenograft studies in athymic nude mice. Furthermore, blocking LYCAT activity using a LYCAT mimetic peptide, attenuated cell migration, suggesting a novel role for LYCAT activity in promoting NSCLC. Mechanistically, the pro-proliferative effects of LYCAT were mediated by an increase in mitochondrial fusion, and a G1/S cell cycle transition, both of which are linked to increased cell proliferation. Taken together, these results demonstrate a novel role for LYCAT in promoting NSCLC and suggests that targeting LYCAT expression or activity in NSCLC may provide new avenues for the therapeutic treatment of lung cancer.