Lpin3 encodes a phosphatidate phosphatase type 1 enzyme, which plays an important role in the de novo biosynthesis of triacylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine [3]. It is also part of the lipin protein family, with lipins having dual functions in lipid metabolism as phosphatidate phosphatase and transcriptional co-regulators of gene expression [2].

In colorectal cancer, LPIN3 is highly expressed and promotes tumor growth. Knockdown of LPIN3 in vivo strengthened CD8+ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity, infiltration and activation. LPIN3 may enhance tumor growth by activating the β-catenin signaling pathway and reduce tumor antigen presentation signals, suppressing CD8+ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity [1]. In sheep, the ontogenetic expression of Lpin3 was studied. Its mRNA was prominently expressed in the liver and small intestine, and also highly expressed in other tissues. Breed, age, and sex significantly influenced its tissue and spatiotemporal expression patterns, and its mRNA expression showed significant correlations with slaughter and tail traits [2].

In conclusion, Lpin3 has important functions in lipid metabolism-related biosynthesis and plays a role in the progression of colorectal cancer by regulating β-catenin signaling and CD8+ T cell activity. In addition, in sheep, its expression is associated with certain traits. The study of Lpin3 knockout or knockdown models in these contexts helps to understand its role in specific biological processes and disease conditions [1,2].

References:

1. Zhang, Xiaoming, Fang, Hao, Wu, Wenliang, Wang, Haizhou, Shi, Yifei. 2025. LPIN3 promotes colorectal cancer growth by dampening intratumoral CD8+ T cell effector function. In Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII, 74, 135. doi:10.1007/s00262-025-03989-2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40042548/

2. Jiao, Xiao-Li, Jing, Jiong-Jie, Qiao, Li-Ying, Jia, Xia-Li, Liu, Wen-Zhong. 2016. Ontogenetic Expression of Lpin2 and Lpin3 Genes and Their Associations with Traits in Two Breeds of Chinese Fat-tailed Sheep. In Asian-Australasian journal of animal sciences, 29, 333-42. doi:10.5713/ajas.15.0467. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26950863/

3. He, Xiaoping, Xu, Xuewen, Liu, Bang. 2008. Molecular characterization, chromosomal localization and association analysis with back-fat thickness of porcine LPIN2 and LPIN3. In Molecular biology reports, 36, 1819-24. doi:10.1007/s11033-008-9385-2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18989753/