Hippo/YAP和Wnt/β-catenin通路的对话

Hippo/YAP通路和Wnt/β-catenin通路是在细胞的生长分化、组织器官形成以及成体干细胞的维持等方面都起着重要作用的两条信号通路。在哺乳动物细胞中,Wnt/β-catenin通路通过一系列胞质蛋白的相互作用,使β-catenin蛋白在胞质内累积,进而入核传递生长刺激信号。Hippo/YAP通路通过激酶级联反应磷酸化YAP/TAZ,使其滞留在细胞质中,抑制了YAP/TAZ的转录活性,从而限制细胞的生长增殖,诱导细胞凋亡。这两条通路的异常调控往往会导致肿瘤的发生。近年来越来越多的研究证实,Hippo/YAP和Wnt/β-catenin在很多方面相互影响,共同参与组织生长和胚胎发育的调控。研究这两个通路在肿瘤发生过程中的转导和调控以及它们相互作用的机制,有助于为肿瘤的防治提供新的思路与策略。文章对这两条通路的协同作用及其分子机制进行了综述。     

Angiomotin在肿瘤形成及Hippo信号通路中调控研究进展

Angiomotin(AMOT)是一种血管抑制素结合蛋白,AMOT在血管内皮细胞的迁移、紧密连接和管状形成等方面起着重要调控作用。AMOT及其同源家族蛋白AMOTL1和AMOTL2可能与Hippo信号通路的下游效应分子YAP相互作用来参与调控肿瘤细胞的生长。在乳腺癌、前列腺癌等癌症中,AMOT能够增加YAP进入细胞核的水平从而促进癌细胞的增殖和迁移;但在胶质母细胞瘤、肺癌等癌细胞中,AMOT将YAP滞留在细胞质或紧密连接处,从而抑制YAP的活性。另外,AMOT也可以促进Hippo信号通路中核心激酶LATS来发挥抑制肿瘤细胞增殖的作用。AMOT在肿瘤细胞生长中发挥的不同作用还需要更深入的研究,现对AMOT在癌症中的调控作用及在Hippo信号通路中的调控机制等方面的研究进展进行综述。     

Hippo信号对卵巢生殖干细胞增殖及卵巢功能的影响

已有研究表明,Hippo信号通路对干细胞的自我更新和分化至关重要,且Hippo信号通路在调控卵泡生长中起重要作用,然而,目前关于Hippo通路对卵巢生殖干细胞的增殖和分化以及卵巢功能重塑的影响相关的研究较少。为了明确Hippo信号通路效应因子YAP1与卵巢生殖干细胞体外增殖分化的关系,以及Hippo信号通路对卵巢癌的主要功能。我们采用两步法酶促分离和磁性分离技术分别鉴定卵巢生殖干细胞,通过测定MVH和OCT4标记物的表达,然后选择YAP1作为Hippo信号通路的主要效应分子,作为研究的靶基因。将含有过表达的YAP1或YAP1靶向的shRNA的慢病毒转导入卵巢生殖干细胞中。通过将过表达YAP1或YAP1 shRNA的慢病毒载体微量注射到不育小鼠模型中,观察调节Hippo信号通路对卵巢的增殖、分化和内分泌功能的影响。研究结果表明,在分离的卵巢生殖干细胞中观察到YAP1和MVH的共表达。与对照组相比,过表达YAP1的卵巢生殖干细胞中MVH和OCT4表达水平显著增加。而YAP1敲低后,MVH和OCT4水平显著降低;不育小鼠模型中YAP1过表达15 d后,E2和FSH含量显著升高,而YAP1 shRNA表达后,小鼠血清E2和FSH含量显著降低。YAP1可用于调控卵巢生殖干细胞的增殖和分化以及小鼠的卵巢功能。本研究表明,Hippo信号通路可能是调控卵巢功能重建的一个新的分子靶点。     

YAP蛋白T425A位点突变对YAP功能的影响

Hippo信号通路在个体发育与组织生长中发挥了关键的作用,YAP(Yes-associated protein)是该通路中主要的下游效应因子。已有的研究表明YAP活性与肿瘤的发生发展密切相关,然而关于YAP活性的调控机制目前还不是很清楚。本研究将YAP蛋白(NP_001123617)第425位苏氨酸(T)突变为丙氨酸(A),发现YAP T425A突变能减弱YAP的转录活性,并通过免疫荧光实验发现该位点的突变还能阻滞YAP进入细胞核。该位点对YAP活性的调控并不依赖于YAP在S127位点受到的磷酸化调控。同时本研究在细胞水平上检测到T425A位点突变能部分降低YAP对细胞迁移的促进作用。本研究主要揭示了YAP T425位点对YAP进出细胞核及其转录活性调控的重要作用,丰富了Hippo通路的调节机理和YAP在肿瘤发生发展中的作用研究。     

经典Wnt信号通路与非小细胞肺癌潜在治疗靶点的研究新进展

经典Wnt信号通路在人类非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)的发病和病程进展中具有重要的调控作用,它与肿瘤组织的增殖、生长、代谢、侵袭和转移有着紧密联系。在NSCLC发生发展中,经典Wnt信号通路的相关蛋白表达发生较复杂的改变,并影响疾病预后,因此,研究这些相关蛋白的表达情况有助于明确NSCLC发病机制以及研究潜在治疗方法。现对经典Wnt通路中NSCLC相关蛋白表达情况和作用以及潜在治疗靶点进行了归纳。     

癌蛋白YAP1的研究进展

Yes相关蛋白1(Yes-associated protein 1,YAP1)是Hippo信号通路(Hippo pathway)中的一个分子.早期研究人员发现,在Hippo信号通路正常的情况下,YAP1处于非激活状态;当Hippo信号通路中的某些分子出现突变时,YAP1处于超激活状态.此时,超激活状态下的YAP1可以促进细胞增殖、转移、生存(survival)以及维持干细胞活性.由于YAP1的超激活可以促进肿瘤的发生与发展,因此,YAP1被定义为一个癌蛋白.近期,研究者发现,YAP1的突变体与小细胞肺癌病人的存活率有一定关系,YAP1与链蛋白(catenin)、Kras相互作用,调节肿瘤细胞的转移侵袭能力,此外,部分micro RNA也与YAP1有相互作用.基于YAP1的功能,可以制定一些抗癌策略,寻找一些抗癌靶点.本文对当前YAP1的研究进行综述,为肿瘤治疗的基础及临床研究提供一些依据.     

Hippo信号通路调控天然免疫的研究进展

Hippo信号通路在细胞的增殖、分化以及凋亡等方面扮演着重要的角色.同时Hippo信号通路又是响应多种环境条件的效应器,如葡萄糖饥饿、细胞密度、病原体感染以及热激等.近年来的研究发现, Hippo信号通路在天然免疫中具有重要的作用.更为重要的是, Hippo信号通路在调控天然免疫过程中,存在核心蛋白相互不依赖的特征, YAP(yes-associated protein)对天然免疫的调节往往独立于上游激酶的调控.同时,在不同的组织和物种中YAP的抵抗病原体的作用也存在差异.本文从Hippo信号通路的演化、调控关系以及Hippo信号通路在抗病毒和抗细菌中的作用,阐述了Hippo信号通路与天然免疫的关系.     

YAP参与调控细胞上皮-间充质转化的研究进展

上皮-间充质转化(epithelial-mesenchymal transition,EMT)是上皮来源细胞在各种理化因素作用下经历表型转化获得间充质样细胞表型的过程.研究表明,有多种信号分子参与EMT的发生,并在胚胎发育、器官损伤修复和肿瘤的发生发展过程中起着关键作用.Yes相关蛋白(yes-associated protein,YAP)作为Hippo信号通路的下游效应分子,被广泛报道参与EMT的进程,调控多种基因的表达,起到调节细胞增殖、凋亡、器官发育和修复等作用.最新研究表明,YAP活性的变化直接介导肿瘤细胞的迁移和侵袭等能力的变化,而这些变化都伴随着EMT的发生.因此,YAP蛋白跟EMT的发生密切相关.本文就近年来关于YAP调控组织发育、器官纤维化及在肿瘤发生发展中的作用,以及相关分子机制的研究进行综述,并将阐明其与EMT之间的相互关系,以期为EMT的研究提供新的视角,进而为相关疾病的治疗提供新的分子靶点和诊断治疗策略.     

Bcl-2家族蛋白及其在细胞凋亡中的作用

Bcl-2家族蛋白是目前已知的细胞凋亡中最重要的调控因子,在细胞凋亡通路中起着重要的调节作用．对其作用机制的研究将有助于对肿瘤,自身免疫性和神经变性等疾病的治疗。该文介绍Bcl-2家族中主要的几种蛋白在凋亡中的作用,以及对线粒体膜通透性的调控作用。     

Roles of YAP in mediating endothelial cell junctional stability and vascular remodeling

Angiogenesis is a complex process involving dynamic interaction of various cell to cell interactions. Endothelial cell interactions regulated by growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, or hemodynamic stress are critical for balancing vascular quiescence and activation. Yes-associated protein (YAP), an effector of Hippo signaling, is known to play significant roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis. However, its role in endothelial cells for angiogenic regulation remains relatively unexplored. We demonstrated the critical role of YAP in vascular endothelial cells and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in angiogenic regulation of YAP. YAP was expressed in active angiogenic regions where endothelial cell junctions were relatively loosened. Consistently, YAP subcellular localization and activity were regulated by VE-cadherin-mediated PI3K/Akt pathway. YAP thereby regulated endothelial sprouting via angiopoietin-2 expression. These results provide an insight into a model of coordinating endothelial junctional stability and angiogenic activation through YAP. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(8): 429-430]     

Wnt-YAP interactions in the neural fate of human pluripotent stem cells and the implications for neural organoid formation

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have shown the ability to self-organize into different types of neural organoids (e.g., whole brain organoids, cortical spheroids, midbrain organoids etc.) recently. The extrinsic and intrinsic signaling elicited by Wnt pathway, Hippo/Yes-associated protein (YAP) pathway, and extracellular microenvironment plays a critical role in brain tissue morphogenesis. This article highlights recent advances in neural tissue patterning from hPSCs, in particular the role of Wnt pathway and YAP activity in this process. Understanding the Wnt-YAP interactions should provide us the guidance to predict and modulate brain-like tissue structure through the regulation of extracellular microenvironment of hPSCs.     

YAP1 inhibits the induction of TNF-α-stimulated bone-resorbing mediators by suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway in MC3T3-E1 cells

Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), the core downstream effector of the Hippo signaling cascade, was involved in the regulation of osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation and in bone metabolism. However, the regulatory effects and mechanisms of YAP1 on bone-remodeling molecules in osteoblasts under inflammation remain unknown. In this study, YAP1 expression level was downregulated after treatment with inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in MC3T3-E1 cells. The key osteoclastogenic molecules induced by TNF-α, namely, interleukin-6 and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) ligand, were suppressed after lentivirus-induced YAP1 overexpression, which dramatically increased the expression level of osteoprotegerin. Conversely, the expression levels of the above factors showed opposite trends in the YAP1 small interfering RNA and YAP1 inhibitor (verteporfin) group. Mechanistically, YAP1 attenuated the TNF-α-induced activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway as revealed by the reduced expression of phosphorylated-p65 and NF-κB reporter activity and the nuclear translocation of p65. Moreover, the expression level of YAP1 suppressed by TNF-α was reversed by berberine in concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, our study suggests that YAP1 plays a critical role in the regulation of bone metabolism and is a potential therapeutic target for treating inflammatory bone resorption.