Transcriptional output of the Salvador/Warts/Hippo pathway is controlled in distinct fashions in Drosophila melanogaster and mammalian cell lines

Abstract

The Salvador/Warts/Hippo (SWH) pathway is an important modulator of organ size, and deregulation of pathway activity can lead to cancer. Several SWH pathway components are mutated or expressed at altered levels in different human tumors including NF2, LATS1, LATS2, SAV1, and YAP. The SWH pathway regulates tissue growth by restricting the activity of the transcriptional coactivator protein known as Yorkie (Yki) in Drosophila melanogaster and Yes-associated protein (YAP) in mammals. Yki/YAP drives tissue growth in partnership with the Scalloped (Sd)/TEAD1-4 transcription factors. Yki/YAP also possesses two WW domains, which contact several proteins that have been suggested to either promote or..