Yes-associated protein (YAP), a transcription coactivator, is the major downstream effector of the Hippo pathway, which plays a critical role in organ size control and cancer development. However, how YAP is regulated by extracellular stimuli in tumorigenesis remains incompletely understood. Netrin-1, a laminin-related secreted protein, displays proto-oncogenic activity in cancers. Nonetheless,...

To investigate the role of Hippo pathway signaling during vertebrate development transgenic zebrafish lines were generated and validated to dynamically monitor and manipulate Yap/Taz-Tead activity. Spatial and temporal analysis of Yap/Taz-Tead activity suggested the importance of Hippo signaling during cardiac precursor migration and other developmental processes. When the transcriptional co-ac...

TPA stimulates carcinogenesis in various types of cancers. However, we found that TPA inhibits transformative phenotypes in liver cancer cells via the translocation of YAP from the nucleus, where it functions as a transcriptional co-factor, to the cytoplasm. Such effects led to a separation of YAP from its dependent transcription factors. The inhibitory effects of TPA on YAP were AMOT dependent...

The pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is thought to involve the interaction of numerous genes. Identification of these genes and proteins which regulate liver carcinogenesis is critical for the exploration of novel targeted therapies. Yes‑associated protein (YAP) and large tumor suppressor 1 (LATS1) are associated with HCC cells. LATS1 is an upstream inhibitory factor of YAP in the...

Timely generation and normal maturation of ependymal cells along the aqueduct are critical for preventing physical blockage between the third and fourth ventricles and the development of fetal non-communicating hydrocephalus. Our study identifies Yap, the downstream effector of the evolutionarily conserved Hippo pathway, as a central regulator for generating developmentally controlled ependymal...

Mechanical signals from the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cellular geometry regulate the nuclear translocation of transcriptional regulators such as Yes-associated protein (YAP). Elucidating how physical signals control the activity of mechanosensitive proteins poses a technical challenge, because perturbations that affect cell shape may also affect protein localization indirectly. Here, we pr...

Peto's paradox is the counterintuitive finding that increasing body mass and thereby cell number does not correlate with an increase in cancer incidence across different species. The Hippo signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved system that determines organ size by regulating apoptosis and cell proliferation. It also affects cell growth by microRNA-29 (miR-29)-mediated cross-talk to th...

The Hippo transducers YAP/TAZ have been shown to play positive, as well as negative, roles in Wnt signaling, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we provide biochemical, functional, and genetic evidence that YAP and TAZ are integral components of the β-catenin destruction complex that serves as cytoplasmic sink for YAP/TAZ. In Wnt-ON cells, YAP/TAZ are physically dislodged from t...

The transcriptional co-activator Yes-associated protein (YAP) is essential for Hippo pathway-driven tumorigenesis in various cancers. However, the expression and function of YAP in neuroblastoma remains elusive. Here, we show that YAP was highly expressed in Neuroblastoma (NB) and expression levels correlated with advanced tumor staging. Knockdown of YAP significantly impaired neuroblastoma pro...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are nuclear effectors of the Hippo pathway. Although they are abundantly expressed in the cytoplasm and nuclei of human colorectal cancer (CRC), and related to tumor proliferation status, there have been few studies on the predictive role of YAP and TAZ expression on the overall s...