New Insights into the Clinical Implications of Yes-Associated Protein in Lung Cancer: Roles in Drug Resistance, Tumor Immunity, Autophagy, and Organoid Development

Innovative advancements in lung cancer treatment have developed over the past decade with the advent of targeted and immune therapies. Yes-associated protein (YAP), an effector of the Hippo pathway, promotes the resistance of these targeted drugs and modulates tumor immunity in lung cancer. YAP is involved in autophagy in lung cancer and plays a prominent role in forming the tubular structure in lung organoids and alveolar differentiation. In this review, we discuss the central roles of YAP in lung cancer and present YAP as a novel target for treating resistance to targeted therapies and immunotherapies in lung cancer. READ ARTICLE

Cancers DOI: 10.3390/cancers13123069

Authors: Yoo G, Park D, Kim Y and Chung C.

Review Paper, group5Kirk SmithJune 17, 2021YAP, TAZ, Hippo pathway, lung cancer, drug resistance, EGFR-TKI, PD-L1, autophagy, organoid

Targeting YAP to overcome acquired resistance to ALK inhibitors in ALK-rearranged lung cancer

Clinical benefit of ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) in ALK-rearranged lung cancer has been limited by the inevitable development of acquired resistance, and bypass-molecular resistance mechanisms remain poorly understood. We investigated a novel therapeutic target through screening FDA-approved drugs in ALK-TKI-resistant models. Cerivastatin, the rate-limiting enzyme inhibitor of the mevalonate pathway, showed anti-cancer activity against ALK-TKI resistance in vitro/in vivo, accompanied by cytoplasmic retention and subsequent inactivation of transcriptional co-regulator YAP. The marked induction of YAP-targeted oncogenes (EGFR, AXL, CYR61, and TGFβR2) in resistant cells was abolished by cerivastatin. YAP silencing suppressed tumor growth in resistant cells, patient-derived xenografts, and EML4-ALK transgenic mice, whereas YAP overexpression decreased the responsiveness of parental cells to ALK inhibitor. In matched patient samples before/after ALK inhibitor treatment, nuclear..... READ ARTICLE

EMBO Molecular Medicine DOI:10.15252/emmm.201910581

Authors: Mi Ran Yun, Hun Mi Choi, You Won Lee, Hyeong Seok Joo, Chae Won Park, Jae Woo Choi, Dong Hwi Kim, Han Na Kang, Kyoung-Ho Pyo, Eun Joo Shin, Hyo Sup Shim, Ross A Soo, James Chih-Hsin Yang, Sung Sook Lee, Hyun Chang, Min Hwan Kim, Min Hee Hong, Hye Ryun Kim, Byoung Chul Cho

Pre-ClinicalKirk SmithOctober 21, 2019YAP, acquired resistance, ALK inhibitors, ALK-rearranged lung cancer