LARP6 is an RNA-binding protein that functions as a translational regulator with specificity for collagen mRNAs. Primary function: LARP6 binds to evolutionarily conserved stem-loop structures in the 5' untranslated regions (5'UTRs) of type I and III collagen mRNAs (COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1) to regulate their stability and translation 1. This binding is highly sequence-specific and requires interaction with cytoskeletal proteins including vimentin and non-muscle myosin 1. Mechanism: LARP6 regulates mRNA translation through interactions with over 300 gene targets via their 5'UTR structural elements, with particular enrichment on collagen transcripts 23. Disease relevance: LARP6 expression is markedly upregulated in hepatic stellate cells during liver fibrosis pathogenesis 23 and in keloid fibroblasts, where knockdown suppresses collagen synthesis, proliferation, and invasion 4. LARP6 is identified as a therapeutic target candidate for fibrosis-related diseases 5. Clinical significance: LARP6 knockdown in hepatic stellate cells attenuates fibrosis development in disease-relevant liver spheroid models of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and metabolic-associated liver disease 23. Additionally, LARP6 suppresses colorectal cancer progression 6 and regulates ciliogenesis in multiciliated cells 7.