Mst2 Is Required For Tumor Progression And Yap Activity

The survival of patients with head and neck cancer has remained unchanged for decades [1]. Novel therapeutic approaches are needed. The transcription co-activator Yap is known to initiate proliferation and migration programs in response to cytoskeletal cues [2]. As evidence of the relevance of Yap in cancer increases, the lack of pharmacological strategies to inhibit it hinders the possibility of clinical testing. The main Yap regulatory signals in mammals are cytoskeletal integrity and cell shape [2]. Interestingly, Mst2 regulates microtubule coordination in parallel to kinesin Eg5 motor activity[3] and actin polymerization through Rac1 activation [4]. We set out to explore the role of Mst2 in cancer biology and the influence of its cytoskeletal effects in Yap activity using silencing and overexpression systems in early passage oral squamous cell cancer cell lines. In clinically annotated databases, high Mst2 expression …