# Mechanism of YAP/TAZ crosstalk with Wnt signaling

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · 2022 · $368,720

## Abstract

SUMMARY
The Hippo and Wnt signaling pathways are intimately associated with tissue homeostasis and tumorigenesis.
However, how these two pathways crosstalk remains elusive and has been a matter of intense debate. Both
positive and negative regulation of Wnt signaling by YAP/TAZ, the intracellular mediators of Hippo signaling, has
been reported, and further studies are clearly required to resolve the controversy regarding the functional and
signaling interactions between these two important pathways. In the intestinal epithelium where Wnt signaling
plays a pivotal role in controlling stem cell renewal and differentiation, our recent work demonstrated that Lats1/2,
the core Hippo kinases, are required for sustaining Wnt signaling in intestinal stem cells. We showed that Lats1/2
removal inhibits Wnt pathway downstream of APC/β-Catenin in the intestine in a cell-autonomous manner. In
this grant, we will use a combination of genetic, proteomic and chemical approaches to dissect the molecular
basis of the YAP/TAZ-Wnt crosstalk in the intestine. In Specific Aim 1, we will examine the ability of YAP/TAZ to
inhibit Wnt/TCF activation in both wild type and APC mutated intestine, using two new conditional alleles of
nuclear YAP/TAZ we recently generated. We will also determine the molecular mechanism by which nuclear
YAP/TAZ suppress Wnt/TCF transcriptional activation downstream of APC. In Specific Aim 2, we define the Wnt-
uncoupled TEAD-dependent downstream programs in APC- and Lats1/2- mutated intestinal epithelium and
explore therapeutic targeting TEAD in intestinal tumors using animal models.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10328901
- **Project number:** 5R01DK127207-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Junhao Mao
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $368,720
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-02-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10328901

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10328901, Mechanism of YAP/TAZ crosstalk with Wnt signaling (5R01DK127207-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10328901. Licensed CC0.

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