Negative regulation of YAP by LATS1 underscores evolutionary conservation of the Drosophila Hippo pathway.
The Hippo pathway defines a novel signaling cascade regulating cell proliferation and survival in Drosophila, which involves the negative regulation of the transcriptional coactivator Yorkie by the kinases Hippo and Warts. We have recently shown that the human ortholog of Yorkie, YAP, maps to a minimal amplification locus in mouse and human cancers, and that it mediates dramatic transforming activity in MCF10A primary mammary epithelial cells. Here, we show that LATS proteins (mammalian orthologs of Warts) interact directly with YAP in mammalian cells and that ectopic expression of LATS1, but not LATS2, effectively suppresses the YAP phenotypes. Furthermore, shRNA-mediated knockdown of LATS1 phenocopies YAP overexpression. Because this effect can be suppressed by simultaneous YAP knockdown, it suggests that YAP is the primary target of LATS1 in mammalian cells. Expression profiling of genes induced by ectopic expression of YAP or by knockdown of LATS1 reveals a subset of potential Hippo pathway targets implicated in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, suggesting that this is a key feature of YAP signaling in mammalian cells.
Zhang
Jianmin
J
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
Smolen
Gromoslaw A
GA
Haber
Daniel A
DA
D000818:Animals; D001940:Breast / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D000099317:Hippo Kinases
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D014157:Transcription Factors; C456659:YY1AP1 protein, human; C092745:LATS1 protein, human; C499474:hpo protein, Drosophila; D000099317:Hippo Kinases