Protein & Cell

The Hippo pathway plays key roles in animal development. It suppresses tumorigenesis by controlling the transcription of the target genes that are critical for cell proliferation and apoptosis. The transcriptional coactivator YAP is the major downstream effector of the Hippo signaling. Upon extracellular stimulation, a kinase cascade in the Hippo pathway phosphorylates YAP and promotes its cytoplasmic sequestration by 14-3-3 and ubiquitin-dependent degradation. When the Hippo pathway is turned off, YAP (which lacks a DNA-binding domain) is dephosphorylated and translocates to the nucleus, where it associates with the transcription factor TEAD to form a functional heterodimeric transcription factor and to promote the expression of the Hippo-responsive genes. Recently, structures of the YAP-binding domain of TEAD alone or in complex with YAP have revealed the atomic details of the TEAD-YAP interaction. Here, I review these exciting advances, propose a strategy for targeting the TEAD-YAP interaction using small molecules, and suggest potential mechanisms by which phosphorylation and 14-3-3 binding regulate the cytoplasmic retention of YAP.

Murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based retroviral vectors is widely used for gene transfer and basic research, and production of high-titer retroviral vectors is very important. Here we report that expression of the Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) enhanced the production of infectious MLV vectors. YB-1 specifically increased the stability of viral genomic RNA in virus-producing cells, and thus increasing viral RNA levels in both producer cells and virion particles. The viral element responsive to YB-1 was mapped to the repeat sequence (R region) in MLV genomic RNA. These results identified YB-1 as a MLV mRNA stabilizer, which can be used for improving production of MLV vectors.

Dysregulation of the Wnt pathway has been extensively studied in multiple diseases, including some angiogenic disorders. Wnt signaling activation is a major stimulator in pathological angiogenesis and thus, Wnt antagonists are believed to have therapeutic potential for neovascular disorders. Actually, some Wnt antagonists have been identified directly from the anti-angiogenic factor family. This review summarizes the recent progress toward understanding of the roles of Wnt pathway antagonists in angiogenic regulation and their mechanism of action, and exploring their therapeutic potential.

Protein ubiquitination is an important means of post-translational modification which plays an essential role in the regulation of various aspects of leukocyte development and function. The specificity of ubiquitin tagging to a protein substrate is determined by E3 ubiquitin ligases via defined E3-substrate interactions. In this review, we will focus on two E3 ligases, VHL and Itch, to discuss the latest progress in understanding their roles in the differentiation and function of CD4+ T helper cell subsets, the stability of regulatory T cells, effector function of CD8+ T cells, as well as the development and maturation of innate lymphoid cells. The biological implications of these E3 ubiquitin ligases will be highlighted in the context of normal and dysregulated immune responses including the control of homeostasis, inflammation, auto-immune responses and anti-tumor immunity. Further elucidation of the ubiquitin system in immune cells will help in the design of new therapeutic interventions for human immunological diseases and cancer.