Hippo Signaling Pathway - The Hippo Signaling Pathway in Cancer

The Hippo Signaling Pathway in Cancer

Many of the genes involved in the Hippo signaling pathway are recognized as tumor suppressors, while Yki/YAP/TAZ is identified as an oncogene. In fact, YAP has been found to be elevated in some human cancers, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer. This may be explained by YAP’s recently defined role in overcoming contact inhibition, a fundamental growth control property of normal cells in culture in which proliferation stops after cells reach confluence. This property is typically lost in cancerous cells, allowing them to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner. In fact, YAP overexpression antagonizes contact inhibition.

Many of the pathway components recognized as tumor suppressor genes are mutated in human cancers. For example, mutations in Fat4 have been found in breast cancer, while NF2 is mutated in familial and sporadic schwannomas. Additionally, several human cancer cell lines invoke mutations of the WW45 and MOBK1B proteins.