Work

Stressing out the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway: toward a new role in Schwann cells

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: Throughout the last 15 years, the Hippo pathway has been shown to be one of the most intriguing signaling pathway found to fulfil a crucial role in regulating multiple cellular functions, such as proliferation, apoptosis, regeneration and organ size control. This pathway was first identified in Drosophila melanogaster , but it was primarily investigated in tumorigenesis, given its relevance also for human cancer. 1 Hippo has been conserved during evolution, and accumulating studies supported its tumorigenic involvement during mammal development. 2 , 3 Central modulators of Hippo pathway are the transcriptional coactivators YAP and TAZ, which shuttle between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Noteworthy, when Hippo is activated, YAP and TAZ are phosphorylated and retained in the cytoplasm, so that their downstream genes are inactivated. Conversely, when Hippo is inactive, YAP and TAZ translocate into the nucleus, enabling the transcription of target genes involved in cell proliferation, survival and tumorigenesis. 3

Source: Cell Death and Disease

DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2015.291