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YAP protein (Yes-Associated protein) is the core effector protein of Hippo signaling pathway

It is a multifunctional intracellular connexin and transcription co-activator, which plays a role in signal transduction and gene transcription regulation in normal cells

Many studies have shown that YAP is involved in the occurrence and development of tumors and acts as an oncogene in the body

In July 2021, researchers from Toronto Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto published an article titled "Binary pan-cancer classes with distinct vulnerabilities defined by pro- or anti-cancer YAP/TEAD activity in Cancer Cell"

Studies have shown that all cancers can be divided into two categories based on whether they express YAP protein

This discovery provides a new strategy for the treatment of the most aggressive and incurable cancers

As an important regulator and effector of the Hippo signaling pathway, YAP plays an important role in the formation of malignant tumors

YAP is present in all cancers, regardless of whether its expression is on or off

When cultivating cancer cells in the laboratory, the cancer cells are either suspended or adherent, and YAP is the main regulator

All suspension cancer cells are turned off by YAP expression (YAPoff), and all adherent cancer cells are turned on by YAP expression (YAPon)

This change in cell adhesion behavior is related to drug resistance and invasiveness, indicating that YAP is the key to this change in drug resistance and malignant transformation

In cancer cells, closing or opening of YAP has the opposite effect of promoting or inhibiting cancer

YAPon cancer requires the presence of YAP to grow and survive, while YAPoff cancer requires the presence of YAP to inhibit the growth of cancer cells

The research team also found that YAPoff cancer is usually highly fatal, such as retinoblastoma, small cell lung cancer, neuroendocrine prostate cancer and so on

Some cancers such as prostate cancer and lung cancer can also transition from YAPon state to YAPoff state to resist treatment

Therefore, the method of preventing this YAP state transition can be an effective method to prevent drug resistance

In general, this study shows that all cancers can be divided into two categories based on the presence or absence of YAP protein-YAPon cancer and YAPoff cancer
.

This simple binary classification may have a profound impact on cancer treatment, and can be used to infer the vulnerability of cancer, develop new treatment methods, and improve the effectiveness of cancer treatment
.