GSE182721
Lats1/2 control TGF-beta directed EMT in the dorsal cranial neuroepithelium through YAP regulation
Hippo signaling, an evolutionarily conserved pathway involved in organ size control, has been implicated to play key roles in developmental processes of various tissues, but its role in craniofacial development has not been largely explored. To examine the function of the Hippo signaling kinase cascade, we inactivated Hippo components Lats1 and Lats2 in the cranial neuroepithelium of mouse embryos using a Wnt1CreSOR driver. Double conditional knock out (DCKO) of Lats1/2 resulted in neural tube and craniofacial defects. Lats1/2 DCKO mutant embryos presented a minute head with delayed and defective neural tube closure. Furthermore, neuroepithelial cell polarity and cell integrity were disrupted within the cranial neural tube in Lats1/2 DCKO mutants. Embryonic neural tube RNA-seq revealed increased TGF-beta signaling in absence of Lats1/2. Moreover, markers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were upregulated in the cranial neural tube. Notably, modulation of Hippo signaling downstream effectors Yap and Taz prevented neuroepithelial defects, aberrant EMT, and TGF-beta dysregulation caused by Lats1/2 deficiency, indicating that Lats1/2 function via canonical Hippo-Yap pathway. Together, our findings revealed important roles for Hippo signaling kinases in pre-migratory neural crest EMT and migration.  Overall design: Poly-Adenylated RNA was extracted from E10.5 microdissected cranial neural tubes from two Lats1/2 double conditional knock out (Lats1 flox/flox; Lats2 flox/flox; E2f1 Tg(Wnt1-cre)2Sor/+, DCKO) and two control (no E2f1 Tg(Wnt1-cre)2Sor/+) embryos.