Yap regulates gastric cancer survival and migration via SIRT1/Mfn2/mitophagy

Oncol Rep. 2018 Apr;39(4):1671-1681. doi: 10.3892/or.2018.6252. Epub 2018 Feb 7.

Abstract

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and Hippo-Yap is the novel signaling pathway which plays an important role in gastric cancer tumor development and progression. However, little insight is available to date regarding the specific role of Yes-associated protein (Yap) in gastric cancer. In the present study, we identified the mechanism through which Yap sustains gastric cancer viability and migration. Yap was greatly upregulated in gastric cancer cells and its expression promoted cellular migration and survival. Functional studies found that knockdown of Yap reduced the mitophagy activity, which subsequently caused mitochondrial apoptosis and cellular oxidative stress. The latter impaired adhesive protein expression, alleviated F-actin expression, blunted lamellipodium formation, leading to inhibition of cancer cell motility. Mechanistically, Yap preserved Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) activity which manipulated mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) expression and subsequent mitophagy. Loss of Yap reduced SIRT1 expression and inhibited Mfn2-mediated mitophagy. Collectively, our results identified Hippo-Yap as a tumor promoter in gastric cancer that was mediated via activation of the SIRT1/Mfn2/mitophagy axis, with potential applications to gastric cancer therapy involving cancer survival and migration.

Publication types

  • Retracted Publication

MeSH terms

  • Actins / genetics
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / genetics*
  • Apoptosis / genetics
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics
  • Cell Survival / genetics
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / genetics*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Mitochondria / genetics
  • Mitochondria / pathology
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / genetics*
  • Mitophagy / genetics
  • Phosphoproteins / genetics*
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Sirtuin 1 / genetics*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology
  • Transcription Factors
  • YAP-Signaling Proteins

Substances

  • Actins
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • Phosphoproteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • YAP-Signaling Proteins
  • YAP1 protein, human
  • SIRT1 protein, human
  • Sirtuin 1
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases
  • MFN2 protein, human