iScience (Mar 2024)

Discovery of non-genomic drivers of YAP signaling modulating the cell plasticity in CRC tumor lines

  • Nobuhiko Ogasawara,
  • Yoshihito Kano,
  • Yosuke Yoneyama,
  • Sakurako Kobayashi,
  • Satoshi Watanabe,
  • Sakura Kirino,
  • Fausto D. Velez-Bravo,
  • Yourae Hong,
  • Aleksandra Ostapiuk,
  • Pavlo Lutsik,
  • Iichiroh Onishi,
  • Shinichi Yamauchi,
  • Yui Hiraguri,
  • Go Ito,
  • Yusuke Kinugasa,
  • Kenichi Ohashi,
  • Mamoru Watanabe,
  • Ryuichi Okamoto,
  • Sabine Tejpar,
  • Shiro Yui

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 3
p. 109247

Abstract

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Summary: In normal intestines, a fetal/regenerative/revival cell state can be induced upon inflammation. This plasticity in cell fate is also one of the current topics in human colorectal cancer (CRC). To dissect the underlying mechanisms, we generated human CRC organoids with naturally selected genetic mutation profiles and exposed them to two different conditions by modulating the extracellular matrix (ECM). Among tested mutation profiles, a fetal/regenerative/revival state was induced following YAP activation via a collagen type I-enriched microenvironment. Mechanistically, YAP transcription was promoted by activating AP-1 and TEAD-dependent transcription and suppressing intestinal lineage-determining transcription via mechanotransduction. The phenotypic conversion was also involved in chemoresistance, which could be potentially resolved by targeting the underlying YAP regulatory elements, a potential target of CRC treatment.

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