TY - JOUR
T1 - YAP/TAZ as mechanosensors and mechanotransducers in regulating organ size and tumor growth
AU - Low, Boon Chuan
AU - Pan, Catherine Qiurong
AU - Shivashankar, G. V.
AU - Bershadsky, Alexander
AU - Sudol, Marius
AU - Sheetz, Michael
N1 - Funding Information:
B.C.L., C.Q.P., G.V.S., A.B., and M.S. are supported by The Mechanobiology Institute, Singapore, funded through the Singapore National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education. M. Sudol is supported by Grant CA#3666 from Alberta Innovates Health Solutions in Canada and by Mechanobiology Institute in Singapore. We thank Prof. Choy Leong Hew (NUS) for his continued support in our effort and to Steven Wolf and Chunxi Wong for their excellent editorial assistance and illustration, respectively. This brief review is not meant to comprehensively reference all the primary and relevant publications. A generous use of recent review articles and references to selective publications, which support arguments raised in the review, was freely practiced. Therefore, the authors apologize for likely omissions of some of the pertinent publications.
PY - 2014/8/19
Y1 - 2014/8/19
N2 - Organ size is controlled by the concerted action of biochemical and physical processes. Although mechanical forces are known to regulate cell and tissue behavior, as well as organogenesis, the precise molecular events that integrate mechanical and biochemical signals to control these processes are not fully known. The recently delineated Hippo-tumor suppressor network and its two nuclear effectors, YAP and TAZ, shed light on these mechanisms. YAP and TAZ are proto-oncogene proteins that respond to complex physical milieu represented by the rigidity of the extracellular matrix, cell geometry, cell density, cell polarity and the status of the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we review the current knowledge of how YAP and TAZ function as mechanosensors and mechanotransducers. We also suggest that by deciphering the mechanical and biochemical signals controlling YAP/TAZ function, we will gain insights into new strategies for cancer treatment and organ regeneration.
AB - Organ size is controlled by the concerted action of biochemical and physical processes. Although mechanical forces are known to regulate cell and tissue behavior, as well as organogenesis, the precise molecular events that integrate mechanical and biochemical signals to control these processes are not fully known. The recently delineated Hippo-tumor suppressor network and its two nuclear effectors, YAP and TAZ, shed light on these mechanisms. YAP and TAZ are proto-oncogene proteins that respond to complex physical milieu represented by the rigidity of the extracellular matrix, cell geometry, cell density, cell polarity and the status of the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we review the current knowledge of how YAP and TAZ function as mechanosensors and mechanotransducers. We also suggest that by deciphering the mechanical and biochemical signals controlling YAP/TAZ function, we will gain insights into new strategies for cancer treatment and organ regeneration.
KW - Hippo tumor suppressor
KW - Mechanosensor
KW - Mechanotransducer
KW - Organ size
KW - YAP/TAZ
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84905101429&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84905101429&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.febslet.2014.04.012
DO - 10.1016/j.febslet.2014.04.012
M3 - Review article
C2 - 24747426
AN - SCOPUS:84905101429
SN - 0014-5793
VL - 588
SP - 2663
EP - 2670
JO - FEBS Letters
JF - FEBS Letters
IS - 16
ER -