Targeting the Hippo Pathway in Prostate Cancer: What's New?
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cancers Review Targeting the Hippo Pathway in Prostate Cancer: What’s New? Kelly Coffey Solid Tumour Target Discovery Laboratory, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK; [email protected] Simple Summary: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK, accounting for the deaths of over 11,000 men per year. A major problem in this disease are tumours which no longer respond to available treatments. Understanding how this occurs will reveal new ways to treat these patients. In this review, the latest findings regarding a particular group of cellular factors which make up a signalling network called the Hippo pathway will be described. Accumulating evidence suggests that this network contributes to prostate cancer progression and resistance to current treatments. Identifying how this pathway can be targeted with drugs is a promising area of research to improve the treatment of prostate cancer. Abstract: Identifying novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of prostate cancer (PC) remains a key area of research. With the emergence of resistance to androgen receptor (AR)-targeting therapies, other signalling pathways which crosstalk with AR signalling are important. Over recent years, evidence has accumulated for targeting the Hippo signalling pathway. Discovered in Drosophila melanogasta, the Hippo pathway plays a role in the regulation of organ size, proliferation, migration and invasion. In response to a variety of stimuli, including cell–cell contact, nutrients and stress, a kinase cascade is activated, which includes STK4/3 and LATS1/2 to inhibit the effector proteins YAP and its paralogue TAZ. Transcription by their partner transcription factors is inhibited by modulation Citation: Coffey, K. Targeting the of YAP/TAZ cellular localisation and protein turnover. Trnascriptional enhanced associate domain Hippo Pathway in Prostate Cancer: (TEAD) transcription factors are their classical transcriptional partner but other transcription factors, What’s New? Cancers 2021, 13, 611. including the AR, have been shown to be modulated by YAP/TAZ. In PC, this pathway can be https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers dysregulated by a number of mechanisms, making it attractive for therapeutic intervention. This 13040611 review looks at each component of the pathway with a focus on findings from the last year and discusses what knowledge can be applied to the field of PC. Academic Editors: Delila Gasi Tandefelt Keywords: Hippo pathway; prostate cancer; YAP/TAZ; cell signalling Received: 20 December 2020 Accepted: 20 January 2021 Published: 4 February 2021 1. Introduction Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in Prostate cancer (PC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK, published maps and institutional affil- accounting for the deaths of over 11,000 men per year (Prostate Cancer UK). As an androgen- iations. regulated cancer, initial treatments revolve around targeting the activity of the androgen receptor (AR) which is initially very effective. However, patients will become unresponsive to this treatment and go on to develop castration-resistant PC (CRPC). Treatments for PC have improved over the years with the introduction of second-generation anti-androgens such as enzalutamide; however, treatment relapse is still a problem. Therefore, there is Copyright: © 2021 by the author. still an unmet clinical need to develop novel treatments for CRPC and to understand the Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article molecular pathways which lead to this disease status. In addition, with an increase in distributed under the terms and the occurrence of AR-negative neuroendocrine tumours (NEPC) following anti-androgen conditions of the Creative Commons treatments, greater understanding of other cellular signalling pathways will yield novel Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// therapeutic targets for these types of aggressive and fatal tumours. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ One such signalling pathway that has been gaining significant interest in PC research 4.0/). is the Hippo pathway (Figure1). Indeed, this pathway is proving to be critical in many Cancers 2021, 13, 611. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13040611 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers Cancers 2021, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 17 Cancers 2021, 13, 611 2 of 17 One such signalling pathway that has been gaining significant interest in PC research is the Hippo pathway (Figure 1). Indeed, this pathway is proving to be critical in many cancers.cancers. Originally Originally discovered discovered in in the the fruitfly, fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster [1],[1], its its conservation acrossacross the the species species to to regulate regulate organ organ size, proliferation proliferation and and stem stem cell biology makes its dysregulationdysregulation an an obvious obvious interest interest to to cancer cancer biologists. The The Hippo Hippo pathway pathway is is a a cascade cascade of of kinasekinase enzymes enzymes which, which, in in response response to to various various stimuli stimuli including including cell–cell cell–cell contact, contact, nutrients nutrients andand the the surrounding surrounding microenvironment, microenvironment, inhibi inhibitt downstream downstream effector effector proteins, proteins, namely, namely, YAP/TAZ,YAP/TAZ, toto switchswitch off off transcriptional transcriptional programmes programmes which which promote promote cell growth. cell Critically,growth. Critically,this is not thethis only is not method the only of regulation method forof regulation these effector for proteinsthese effector which themselvesproteins which have themselvesbeen found have to be been altered found in cancers, to be altered including in cancers, PC. including PC. FigureFigure 1.1. TheThe HippoHippo pathway. pathway. In responseIn response to a varietyto a variety of stimuli, of stimuli, upstream upstream kinases STK4/3kinases areSTK4/3 activated are activated by their interaction by their interactionwith SAV to with phosphorylate SAV to phosphorylate LATS1/2 and LATS1/2 MOB1. and LATS MOB1. kinase LATS activity kinase is activated,activity is activated, resulting in resulting phosphorylation in phosphorylation of effector ofproteins effector YAP/TAZ. proteins YAP/TAZ. This results This in results cytoplasmic in cytoplasmic sequestration sequestration and interaction and interaction with the wi chaperoneth the chaperone protein, protein, 14-3-3, in14-3- the 3,cytoplasm in the cytoplasm to inhibit to its inhibit ability toits promoteability to transcription. promote transcription. Further phosphorylation Further phosphorylation of YAP/TAZ of then YAP/TAZ occurs viathen CK1 occurs to result via CK1in β-TrCP-mediated to result in ubiquitinationβ-TrCP-mediated and proteasomalubiquitination degradation. and proteaso Whenmal YAP/TAZ degradation. cannot beWhen phosphorylated, YAP/TAZ itcannot resides be in phosphorylated,the nucleus where it itresides can associate in the withnucleu transcriptions where it factors,can associate such as with Transcriptional transcripti Enhancedon factors, Associate such as DomainTranscriptional (TEAD) Enhanced Associate Domain (TEAD) transcription factors, to stimulate transcription of genes involved in cell proliferation, transcription factors, to stimulate transcription of genes involved in cell proliferation, cell cycle regulation, prevention of cell cycle regulation, prevention of apoptosis, migration and invasion. apoptosis, migration and invasion. Recently,Recently, the the Hippo Hippo pathway pathway and and its its upstream upstream activators activators were were reviewed reviewed in in great great detaildetail [2,3] [2,3] and and its its role role in in PC PC was was nicely nicely reviewed reviewed by by Salem Salem and and Hansen Hansen in in early early 2019 2019 [4]. [4]. However,However, there hashas beenbeen aa burst burst of of activity activity in in this this field field in thein the last last year year and and this this review review will willfocus focus on providing on providing a critical a critical update update in this fast-movingin this fast-moving area of research,area of research, focusing primarilyfocusing primarilyon PC and on identifying PC and identifying where progress where in otherprog cancersress in other could becancers applied could to further be applied advance to furtherour knowledge. advance our knowledge. 2.2. STK4/STK3 STK4/STK3 STK4STK4 (MST1) (MST1) and and STK3 STK3 (MST2) (MST2) are are stress-ac stress-activatedtivated kinases kinases at at the the top top of of the kinase cascadecascade which which will will ultimately ultimately regulate regulate the the activity activity of of effector effector proteins, YAP/TAZ, as as well well asas havinghaving Hippo-independent Hippo-independent effects effects within within the cell. the STK4 cell. is activatedSTK4 is by activated autophospho- by autophosphorylationrylation within its activation within its loop activation at Thr183 loop which at Thr183 in turn which results in turn in results caspase-mediated in caspase- mediatedcleavage undercleavage apoptotic under apoptotic conditions conditions to produce to a produce more activated a more formactivated [5–8 ].form This [5–8]. form Thisis then form able is tothen move able to to the move nucleus to the of nucleus the cell of where the cell it results where init activationresults