The Role of YAP and TAZ in Angiogenesis and Vascular Mimicry

• Main Authors: Taha Azad, Mina Ghahremani, Xiaolong Yang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-05-01
• Series: Cells
• Subjects: Hippo pathway; cancer; angiogenesis; vascular mimicry; YAP; TAZ; MST1/2; LATS1/2
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/8/5/407

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature, is a physiological process that begins in utero and continues throughout life in both good health and disease. Understanding the underlying mechanism in angiogenesis could uncover a new therapeutic approach in pathological angiogenesis. Since its discovery, the Hippo signaling pathway has emerged as a key player in controlling organ size and tissue homeostasis. Recently, new studies have discovered that Hippo and two of its main effectors, Yes-associated protein (YAP) and its paralog transcription activator with PDZ binding motif (TAZ), play critical roles during angiogenesis. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms by which YAP/TAZ regulate endothelial cell shape, behavior, and function in angiogenesis. We further discuss how YAP/TAZ function as part of developmental and pathological angiogenesis. Finally, we review the role of YAP/TAZ in tumor vascular mimicry and propose directions for future work.