Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Monitoring Hippo Signaling Pathway Activity Using a Luciferase-based Large Tumor Suppressor LATS Biosensor
Published on: September 13, 2018
MAP4K family kinases act in parallel to MST1/2 to activate LATS1/2 in the Hippo pathway
Zhipeng Meng1, Toshiro Moroishi1, Violaine Mottier-Pavie2
1Department of Pharmacology and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
Abstract:
The Hippo pathway plays a central role in tissue homoeostasis, and its dysregulation contributes to tumorigenesis. Core components of the Hippo pathway include a kinase cascade of MST1/2 and LATS1/2 and the transcription co-activators YAP/TAZ. In response to stimulation, LATS1/2 phosphorylate and inhibit YAP/TAZ, the main effectors of the Hippo pathway. Accumulating evidence suggests that MST1/2 are not required for the regulation of YAP/TAZ. Here we show that deletion of LATS1/2 but not MST1/2 abolishes YAP/TAZ phosphorylation. We have identified MAP4K family members--Drosophila Happyhour homologues MAP4K1/2/3 and Misshapen homologues MAP4K4/6/7-as direct LATS1/2-activating kinases. Combined deletion of MAP4Ks and MST1/2, but neither alone, suppresses phosphorylation of LATS1/2 and YAP/TAZ in response to a wide range of signals. Our results demonstrate that MAP4Ks act in parallel to and are partially redundant with MST1/2 in the regulation of LATS1/2 and YAP/TAZ, and establish MAP4Ks as components of the expanded Hippo pathway.
More Related Videos
11:23Characterization at the Molecular Level using Robust Biochemical Approaches of a New Kinase Protein
Published on: June 30, 2019
11:32Identification of Transcription Factor Regulators using Medium-Throughput Screening of Arrayed Libraries and a Dual-Luciferase-Based Reporter
Published on: March 27, 2020
Related Concept Videos
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
MAPK Signaling Cascades
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...