Molecular Pathways: YAP and TAZ Take Center Stage in Organ Growth and Tumorigenesis

The evolution of a solid tumor is fueled by genetic aberrations. Yet, the tumor environment often dominates over the effects of genetics: normal tissues have powerful tumor-suppressive properties that constantly tame or eliminate cells carrying transforming mutations. Critical elements of such a suppressive microenvironment are structural characteristics of normal cells and tissues, such as cell polarity, attachment to the extracellular matrix (ECM), and epithelial organization. Once these tissue-level checkpoints have been overcome, tumor growth is enhanced by recruitment of stromal cells and remodeling of the ECM. Genetic inactivation in mouse models indicates the Hippo pathway as a fundamental inhibitor of organ growth during development and as a critical tumor suppressor in epithelial tissues, such as the liver, skin, and ovaries, and soft tissues. At the centerpiece of this pathway lie two related transcriptional coactivators, YAP and TAZ, that promote tissue proliferation and the self-renewal of normal and cancer stem cells, and incite metastasis. Strikingly, YAP and TAZ are controlled by the same architectural features that first inhibit and then foster cancer growth, such as ECM elasticity, cell shape, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. These findings open unexpected opportunities for the development of new cancer therapeutics targeting key YAP/TAZ regulatory inputs such as Wnt signaling, cytoskeletal contractility, G-protein-coupled receptors, or YAP/TAZ-regulated transcription.