E-MTAB-7619
YAP-TEAD multiphasic activation regulates pluripotent stem cell mechanics to drive cardiac specification and contractility in pathological heart.
YAP transcriptional regulator controls cell mechanics by activating genes involved in cell-matrix interaction following extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and stiffening.  YAP is needed for cardiogenesis in mouse but is repressed in adult cardiomyocytes. The protein is reactivated following ischemic insults, although the timing and mechanisms underlying YAP depletion during heart development and the reason for its reactivation are unclear. Here, we combine pluripotent stem cell (PSC) cardiac differentiation, mouse embryo development and human heart tissue analysis to demonstrate that the fine-tuning of cell mechanics, as controlled by YAP multiphasic activation through TEAD transcription, is crucial for mesoderm commitment and cardiac progenitor specification. Finally, by adopting induced PSC models of dilated cardiomyopathy, we prove that YAP-TEAD reactivation in diseased cardiomyocytes empowers calcium handling apparatus and increases cell contractility. Given YAP prompt activation following myocardial infarction, we unveil a novel role for mechanosensing in connecting ECM remodelling to cardiomyocyte function in pathological heart.
YAP transcriptional regulator controls cell mechanics by activating genes involved in cell-matrix interaction following extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and stiffening.  YAP is needed for cardiogenesis in mouse but is repressed in adult cardiomyocytes. The protein is reactivated following ischemic insults, although the timing and mechanisms underlying YAP depletion during heart development and the reason for its reactivation are unclear. Here, we combine pluripotent stem cell (PSC) cardiac differentiation, mouse embryo development and human heart tissue analysis to demonstrate that the fine-tuning of cell mechanics, as controlled by YAP multiphasic activation through TEAD transcription, is crucial for mesoderm commitment and cardiac progenitor specification. Finally, by adopting induced PSC models of dilated cardiomyopathy, we prove that YAP-TEAD reactivation in diseased cardiomyocytes empowers calcium handling apparatus and increases cell contractility. Given YAP prompt activation following myocardial infarction, we unveil a novel role for mechanosensing in connecting ECM remodelling to cardiomyocyte function in pathological heart.