Background and Aims Gain-of-function (GOF) mutations of CTNNB1 and loss-of-function (LOF) mutations of AXIN1 are recurrent genetic alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aim to investigate the functional contribution of Hippo/YAP/TAZ in GOF CTNNB1 or LOF AXIN1 mutant HCCs. Approach and Results The requirement of YAP/TAZ in c-Met/beta-Catenin and c-Met/sgAxin1-driven HCC was analyzed using conditional Yap, Taz, and Yap;Taz knockout (KO) mice. Mechanisms of AXIN1 in regulating YAP/TAZ were investigated using AXIN1 mutated HCC cells. Hepatocyte-specific inducible TTR-CreER(T2) KO system was applied to evaluate the role of Yap;Taz during tumor progression. Cabozantinib and G007-LK combinational treatment were tested in vitro and in vivo. Nuclear YAP/TAZ was strongly induced in c-Met/sgAxin1 mouse HCC cells. Activation of Hippo via overexpression of Lats2 or concomitant deletion of Yap and Taz significantly inhibited c-Met/sgAxin1 driven HCC development, whereas the same approaches had mild effects in c-Met/beta-Catenin HCCs. YAP is the major Hippo effector in c-Met/beta-Catenin HCCs, and both YAP and TAZ are required for c-Met/sgAxin1-dependent hepatocarcinogenesis. Mechanistically, AXIN1 binds to YAP/TAZ in human HCC cells and regulates YAP/TAZ stability. Genetic deletion of YAP/TAZ suppresses already formed c-Met/sgAxin1 liver tumors, supporting the requirement of YAP/TAZ during tumor progression. Importantly, tankyrase inhibitor G007-LK, which targets Hippo and Wnt pathways, synergizes with cabozantinib, a c-MET inhibitor, leading to tumor regression in the c-Met/sgAxin1 HCC model. Conclusions Our studies demonstrate that YAP/TAZ are major signaling molecules downstream of LOF AXIN1 mutant HCCs, and targeting YAP/TAZ is an effective treatment against AXIN1 mutant human HCCs.
基金:
National Institutes of Health [R03CA208311, R01CA250227, R01CA239251, P30DK026743]; China Scholarship Council [201806165021]; Natural Science Foundation of Hubei province [2017CFB258]; National Natural Science Foundation [82002967]
第一作者单位:[1]Huazhong Univ Sci & Technol, Tongji Hosp, Tongji Med Coll, Hepat Surg Ctr,Dept Surg, Wuhan 430030, Peoples R China[2]Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept Bioengn & Therapeut Sci, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA[3]Univ Calif San Francisco, Ctr Liver, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
通讯作者:
通讯机构:[2]Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept Bioengn & Therapeut Sci, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA[3]Univ Calif San Francisco, Ctr Liver, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA[4]Sichuan Univ, West China Hosp, Dept Liver Surg, Lab Liver Surg, 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, Peoples R China[15]Univ Hawaii, Ctr Canc, Honolulu, HI 96822 USA
推荐引用方式(GB/T 7714):
Liang Binyong,Wang Haichuan,Qiao Yu,et al.Differential requirement of Hippo cascade during CTNNB1 or AXIN1 mutation-driven hepatocarcinogenesis[J].HEPATOLOGY.2023,77(6):1929-1942.doi:10.1002/hep.32693.
APA:
Liang, Binyong,Wang, Haichuan,Qiao, Yu,Wang, Xue,Qian, Manning...&Chen, Xin.(2023).Differential requirement of Hippo cascade during CTNNB1 or AXIN1 mutation-driven hepatocarcinogenesis.HEPATOLOGY,77,(6)
MLA:
Liang, Binyong,et al."Differential requirement of Hippo cascade during CTNNB1 or AXIN1 mutation-driven hepatocarcinogenesis".HEPATOLOGY 77..6(2023):1929-1942