Hippo signaling plays critical roles in regulation of tissue homeostasis, organ size, and tumorigenesis by inhibiting YES-associated protein (YAP) and PDZ-binding protein TAZ through MST1/2 and LATS1/2 pathway. It is also engaged in cross-talk with various other signaling pathways, including WNT, BMPs, Notch, GPCRs, and Hedgehog to further modulate activities of YAP/TAZ. Because YAP and TAZ are...

There has been considerable debate on the geographic origin of the human Y chromosome Alu polymorphism (YAP). Here we report a new, very rare deep-rooting haplogroup within the YAP clade, together with data on other deep-rooting YAP clades. The new haplogroup, found so far in only five Nigerians, is the least-derived YAP haplogroup according to currently known binary markers. However, because t...

The focal nature of atherosclerotic lesions suggests an important role of local hemodynamic environment. Recent studies have demonstrated significant roles of Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) in mediating mechanotransduction and vascular homeostasis. The objective of this study is to investigate the functional role of YAP/TAZ in the flow ...

The Yes-associated protein, YAP, is a downstream effector of the Hippo pathway of cell-cycle control that plays important roles in tumorigenesis. Hippo-mediated phosphorylation YAP, mainly at S127, inactivates YAP function. In this study, we define a mechanism for positive regulation of YAP activity that is critical for its oncogenic function. Specifically, we found that YAP is phosphorylated i...

The optic vesicle comprises a pool of bi-potential progenitor cells from which the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina fates segregate during ocular morphogenesis. Several transcription factors and signaling pathways have been shown to be important for RPE maintenance and differentiation, but an understanding of the initial fate specification and determination of this ocular cell...

Defective expression of LATS2, a negative regulator of YAP oncoprotein, has been reported in cancer of prostate, breast, liver, brain, and blood origins. However, no transcriptional regulators for the LATS2 gene have been identified. Here we report that spontaneous mutation of the transcription factor FOXP3 reduces expression of the LATS2 gene in mammary epithelial cells. shRNA-mediated silenci...

Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 1 (NHERF1) has been reported to interact with post-synaptic density protein/Drosophila disc large tumour suppressor/zonula occludens 1 protein (PDZ) binding proteins by its two PDZ domains. These associations have effects on cellular signal transductions. NHERF1 has also been indicated as a cancer-related gene in several solid tumour types. We identified a nov...

DACT2, one of the Dact gene family members, was shown to function as a tumor suppressor. However, its function in gliomas remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of DACT2, underlying molecular mechanisms and its clinical significance in glioma patients. Downexpression of DACT2 in gliomas compared with adjacent normal brain tissues was correlated with glioma grade and po...

Branching morphogenesis is a complex biological process common to the development of most epithelial organs. Here we demonstrate that NF2, LATS1/2 and YAP play a critical role in branching morphogenesis in the mouse kidney. Removal of Nf2 or Lats1/2 from the ureteric bud (UB) lineage causes loss of branching morphogenesis that is rescued by loss of one copy of Yap and Taz, and phenocopied by YA...

The cAMP response element-binding (CREB) protein is a member of the CREB/activating transcription factor family that is activated by various extracellular stimuli. It has been shown that CREB-dependent transcription stimulation plays a key role in neuronal differentiation and plasticity, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. Here, we show that Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a d...