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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Monitoring Hippo Signaling Pathway Activity Using a Luciferase-based Large Tumor Suppressor LATS Biosensor
Published on: September 13, 2018
Insulin receptor substrate 2: a bridge between Hippo and AKT pathways
1National Creative Research Initiatives Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Biomedical Research Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and liver cancer are linked. Disrupting the Hippo pathway and PTEN-AKT signaling promotes NAFLD and cancer by upregulating IRS2, but targeting AKT can prevent these conditions.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology and molecular biology research.
- Investigating liver disease mechanisms and cancer development.
Background:
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver cancer.
- Understanding NAFLD pathogenesis is crucial for prevention and treatment strategies.
- The interplay between the Hippo-YAP/TAZ and PTEN-AKT pathways in liver homeostasis and tumorigenesis is not fully understood.
Discussion:
- Depletion of PTEN and SAV1 in hepatocytes promotes NAFLD and liver cancer via AKT hyperactivity, driven by YAP/TAZ-mediated IRS2 upregulation.
- NAFLD progression is reversed by YAP/TAZ ablation or Hippo pathway activation.
- Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with NAFLD exhibit correlations between YAP/TAZ, IRS2, and phospho-AKT expression.
Key Insights:
- The Hippo pathway and AKT signaling crosstalk through IRS2 to influence liver homeostasis and prevent NAFLD and cancer.
- Hyperactive AKT signaling, driven by YAP/TAZ, promotes NAFLD and liver tumorigenesis.
- Targeting AKT signaling with inhibitors like MK-2206 can attenuate NAFLD and cancer development.
Outlook:
- Further elucidation of the Hippo-AKT-IRS2 axis in NAFLD and HCC.
- Potential therapeutic strategies targeting this axis for NAFLD and liver cancer treatment.
- Investigating the role of SAV1 in liver disease progression and cancer development.
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