{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n LCNL1 has recently been identified as one of several genes whose copy number variations are associated with a distinct immune‐modulatory state in bladder cancer. In a study investigating the patients’ tumour microenvironment, LCNL1 was upregulated in the subgroup characterized by low PD‑L1 expression and an “exhausted” immune profile – a group that exhibited extensive antigen-presenting cell suppression and increased infiltration by immunosuppressive cell types (e.g. M2 macrophages). This altered expression pattern suggests that LCNL1 may be part of a network of molecular changes that influence stromal–tumour interactions, potentially impacting tumour progression and patient prognosis."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n Although the precise functional contribution of LCNL1 in these pathways remains to be fully elucidated, its identification alongside other genes altered by copy number variations implies a role in modulating the tumour microenvironment. Notably, studies of the human lipocalin family have shown that despite low sequence similarity among its members, a conserved structural framework is maintained; several lipocalins are involved in extracellular transport of small hydrophobic molecules and may relay signals from the extracellular space to intracellular targets. Such functions could underlie mechanisms by which LCNL1, as a lipocalin-like protein, affects cellular processes in cancers."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "2"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n \n "}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n In summary, LCNL1 appears to be a potential molecular marker associated with an immunologically exhausted tumour microenvironment. Its altered expression in PD‑L1–low bladder cancers and its membership in a protein family attuned to extracellular signalling pave the way for future investigations into its role in stromal interplay and as a possible contributor to poor clinical outcomes.\n "}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Xintong Lyu, Ping Wang, Qiao Qiao, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Genomic stratification based on microenvironment immune types and PD-L1 for tailoring therapeutic strategies in bladder cancer."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "BMC Cancer (2021)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1186/s12885-021-08350-1"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-021-08350-1"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "34059019"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34059019"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Ze-Peng Du, Bing-Li Wu, Xuan Wu, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "A systematic analysis of human lipocalin family and its expression in esophageal carcinoma."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sci Rep (2015)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/srep12010"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/srep12010"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "26131602"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26131602"}]}]}]}