Hippo Wades into Cancer Immunology
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Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Monitoring Hippo Signaling Pathway Activity Using a Luciferase-based Large Tumor Suppressor LATS Biosensor
Published on: September 13, 2018
Thomas Gebhardt1, Kieran F Harvey2
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Parkville, VIC 3000, Australia.
Abstract:
The Hippo pathway limits organ size and suppresses tumors. Reporting in Cell, Moroishi et al. (2016), show that, paradoxically, Hippo pathway inactivation can repress tumor growth by modulating tumor immunogenicity. This could explain the rarity of pathway mutations in cancers and suggests Hippo pathway repression as a cancer immunotherapy modality.
Insights
Hippo pathway inactivation paradoxically represses tumor growth by altering tumor immunogenicity. This finding suggests targeting the Hippo pathway for novel cancer immunotherapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The Hippo pathway is a key regulator of organ size and a known tumor suppressor.
- Mutations in the Hippo pathway are rarely observed in human cancers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the paradoxical role of Hippo pathway inactivation in tumor growth.
- To explore the potential of modulating tumor immunogenicity via the Hippo pathway for cancer therapy.
Main Methods:
- The study by Moroishi et al. (2016) reported in Cell analyzed the effects of Hippo pathway inactivation.
- Investigated the impact on tumor immunogenicity and growth dynamics.
Main Results:
- Hippo pathway inactivation was found to repress tumor growth.
- This repression is mediated by the modulation of tumor immunogenicity.
Conclusions:
- The findings explain the infrequent occurrence of Hippo pathway mutations in cancers.
- Hippo pathway repression emerges as a potential strategy for cancer immunotherapy.
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