Substrate stiffness-induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation is mediated by a combined activation of YAP targets TEAD and RUNX2, and inhibition of either reduces proliferation.
Does inhibition of TEAD or RUNX2 reduce cardiac fibroblast proliferation in cardiac fibroblasts exposed to stiff extracellular matrix?
YAP-mediated activation of both TEAD and RUNX2 is a previously unrecognized mechanism driving cardiac fibroblast proliferation in response to increased extracellular matrix stiffness, offering potential therapeutic targets for cardiac fibrosis.
Cardiac fibrosis is associated with increased stiffness of the myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM) in part mediated by increased cardiac fibroblast proliferation However, our understanding of the mechanisms regulating cardiac fibroblast proliferation are incomplete. Here we characterise a novel mechanism involving a combined activation of Yes-associated protein (YAP) targets RUNX Family Transcription Factor 2 (RUNX2) and TEA Domain Transcription Factor (TEAD). We demonstrate that cardiac fibroblast proliferation is enhanced by interaction with a stiff ECM compared to a soft ECM. This is associated with activation of the transcriptional co-factor, YAP. We demonstrate that this stiffness induced activation of YAP enhances the transcriptional activity of both TEAD and RUNX2 transcription factors. Inhibition of either TEAD or RUNX2, using gene silencing, expression of dominant-negative mutants or pharmacological inhibition, reduces cardiac fibroblast proliferation. Using mutants of YAP, defective in TEAD or RUNX2 activation ability, we demonstrate a dual role of YAP-mediated activation of TEAD and RUNX2 for substrate stiffness induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation. Our data highlights a previously unrecognised role of YAP mediated RUNX2 activation for cardiac fibroblast proliferation in response to increased ECM stiffness.
Ebrahimighaei et al. (Tue,) conducted a other in Cardiac fibrosis. YAP-TEAD and YAP-RUNX2 signaling inhibition vs. Soft ECM / uninhibited controls was evaluated on Cardiac fibroblast proliferation. Substrate stiffness-induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation is mediated by a combined activation of YAP targets TEAD and RUNX2, and inhibition of either reduces proliferation.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: