HIPPO Signaling Pathway


Researchers have long wondered how developing tissues and organs are signaled to stop growing upon reaching maturity. The Hippo (or SWH) signaling pathway has been shown to be responsible for controlling organ growth and size by limiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. At low cell densities, the co-activators YAP/TAZ induce the expression of transcription factors that lead the pathway toward cell proliferation.  However at higher cell densities, membrane-bound regulators trigger YAP/TAZ phosphorylation, thereby preventing them from entering the nucleus to induce the pro-growth transcription factors. Mutations of the Hippo protein lead to overgrowth that is similar to the unchecked cell proliferation found in tumors.

Hippo Pathway