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Updated: Jul 30, 2025

De Novo Generation of Somatic Stem Cells by YAP/TAZ
Published on: May 7, 2018
Emerging Roles of YAP/TAZ in Tooth and Surrounding: from Development to Regeneration
Shengyan Yang1, Fang Huang2, Fuping Zhang2
1Applied Oral Sciences & Community Dental Care, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Abstract:
Yes associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are ubiquitous transcriptional co-activators that control organ development, homeostasis, and tissue regeneration. Current in vivo evidence suggests that YAP/TAZ regulates enamel knot formation during murine tooth development, and is indispensable for dental progenitor cell renewal to support constant incisor growth. Being a critical sensor for cellular mechano-transduction, YAP/TAZ lays at the center of the complex molecular network that integrates mechanical cues from the dental pulp chamber and surrounding periodontal tissue into biochemical signals, dictating in vitro cell proliferation, differentiation, stemness maintenance, and migration of dental stem cells. Moreover, YAP/TAZ-mediated cell-microenvironment interactions also display essential regulatory roles during biomaterial-guided dental tissue repair and engineering in some animal models. Here, we review recent advances in YAP/TAZ functions in tooth development, dental pulp, and periodontal physiology, as well as dental tissue regeneration. We also highlight several promising strategies that harness YAP/TAZ activation for promoting dental tissue regeneration.
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