title: Yap controls stem/progenitor cell proliferation in the mouse postnatal epidermis.
abstract: Tissue renewal is an ongoing process in the epithelium of the skin. We have begun to examine the genetic mechanisms that control stem/progenitor cell activation in the postnatal epidermis. The conserved Hippo pathway regulates stem cell turnover in arthropods through to vertebrates. Here we show that its downstream effector, yes-associated protein (YAP), is active in the stem/progenitor cells of the postnatal epidermis. Overexpression of a C-terminally truncated YAP mutant in the basal epidermis of transgenic mice caused marked expansion of epidermal stem/progenitor cell populations. Our data suggest that the C-terminus of YAP controls the balance between stem/progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation in the postnatal interfollicular epidermis. We conclude that YAP functions as a molecular switch of stem/progenitor cell activation in the epidermis. Moreover, our results highlight YAP as a possible therapeutic target for diseases such as skin cancer, psoriasis, and epidermolysis bullosa.
authors.affiliation: School for Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. a.beverdam@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Annemiek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beverdam
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Claxton
authors.forename: Xiaomeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Kieran F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Key
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D000505:Alopecia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010641:Phenotype; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D000091102:YAP-Signaling Proteins
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D000091102:YAP-Signaling Proteins; C486223:Yap1 protein, mouse