New insights into YAP/TAZ nucleo‐cytoplasmic shuttling: new cancer therapeutic opportunities?

Abstract

Yes‐associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co‐activator with PDZ‐binding motif (TAZ), the main effectors of the Hippo pathway, are emerging as important players in cancer biology and therapy response. The intracellular localization of YAP/TAZ is a key determinant in the regulation of their activity and their roles in signal transduction. This is particularly relevant for cancer: Aberrant nuclear localization of YAP and TAZ has been observed in numerous human cancers and may therefore represent an attractive target for cancer therapy. In this review, we describe the mechanisms that regulate the nucleo‐cytoplasmic shuttling of YAP/TAZ and their implications for cancer, and discuss how the new insights about this process may pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies.

Keywords

• exportin 1
• hippo pathway
• nucleo‐cytoplasmic shuttling
• TAZ
• YAP