# Role of LMPTP in Prostate Cancer

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2021 · $421,889

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The objective of this proposal is to perform exploratory examination of the low molecular weight protein
tyrosine phosphatase (LMPTP) as a new target for prostate cancer therapy. Prostate cancer is among the
leading causes of cancer death in American men, and novel therapies to inhibit prostate tumor growth and
metastasis are a major unmet medical need in cancer. LMPTP is a tyrosine phosphatase encoded by the
ACP1 gene. Several recent reports have demonstrated that LMPTP is overexpressed in human prostate
tumors, and that LMPTP expression associates with post-surgical biochemical recurrence and shorter patient
survival time. Since little was known about the role of LMPTP in tumor growth, we decided to investigate the
role of LMPTP in prostate cancer cells. We generated prostate cancer cell lines carrying LMPTP knockout
(KO), and found that loss of LMPTP significantly impaired their proliferation, colony formation, and
invasiveness in vitro. We also found that LMPTP is a key promoter of prostate tumor growth in vivo. We have
additional preliminary data demonstrating that LMPTP promotes activation of the androgen receptor in prostate
cancer cells. Here, our goal is to gain exploratory evidence of the potential for LMPTP as a novel target for
prostate cancer therapy. We seek to determine the molecular mechanism by which LMPTP promotes prostate
cancer cell growth (Aim 1) and to demonstrate that pharmacological LMPTP inhibition reverses castration-
resistant prostate tumor growth and impairs prostate tumor bone metastasis (Aim 2). Our project is exploratory,
high-risk, and has a clear translational perspective for prostate cancer. We will pursue this project using unique
resources that we have developed, including a novel patient-derived bone metastasis model for prostate
cancer and a newly developed LMPTP inhibitor with excellent pharmacological properties. We are uniquely
positioned to succeed in this study and are excited to uncover the potential of LMPTP as a novel target for
prostate cancer therapy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10198250
- **Project number:** 1R21CA245621-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephanie Stanford
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $421,889
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10198250

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10198250, Role of LMPTP in Prostate Cancer (1R21CA245621-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10198250. Licensed CC0.

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