alpha E-catenin inhibits YAP/TAZ activity to regulate signalling centre formation during tooth development

作者：Li, Chun-Ying^*; Hu, Jimmy; Lu, Hongbing; Lan, Jing; Du, Wei; Galicia, Nicole; Klein, Ophir D.^*

来源：Nature Communications, 2016, 7(1): 12133.

DOI：10.1038/ncomms12133

• EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL INTERACTIONS
• HIPPO PATHWAY
• ENAMEL KNOT
• CARDIOMYOCYTE PROLIFERATION
• EXPRESSION PATTERNS
• ADHERENS JUNCTIONS
• CELL-JUNCTIONS
• ORGAN SIZE
• IN-VIVO
• MOUSE

Embryonic signalling centres are specialized clusters of non-proliferating cells that direct the development of many organs. However, the mechanisms that establish these essential structures in mammals are not well understood. Here we report, using the murine incisor as a model, that alpha E-catenin is essential for inhibiting nuclear YAP localization and cell proliferation. This function of aE-catenin is required for formation of the tooth signalling centre, the enamel knot (EK), which maintains dental mesenchymal condensation and epithelial invagination. EK formation depends primarily on the signalling function of aE-catenin through YAP and its homologue TAZ, as opposed to its adhesive function, and combined deletion of Yap and Taz rescues the EK defects caused by loss of aE-catenin. These findings point to a developmental mechanism by which aE-catenin restricts YAP/TAZ activity to establish a group of non-dividing and specialized cells that constitute a signalling centre.

• 出版日期2016-7
• 单位大连大学