Narciclasine is a novel YAP inhibitor that disturbs interaction between YAP and TEAD4

• Published in: BBA advances 2021-01, Vol.1, p.100008-100008, Article 100008
• Main Authors: Kawamoto, Rie, Nakano, Naoko, Ishikawa, Haruka, Tashiro, Etsu, Nagano, Waka, Sano, Keigo, Irie, Miki, Ikuta, Mariko, Kishi, Fukuko, Nakane, Takahisa, Naito, Mikihiko, Itoh, Susumu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anticancer drug; Malignant mesothelioma; Narciclasine; TEAD; YAP
• ISSN: 2667-1603; 2667-1603
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2021.100008

•Narciclasine binds to the N-terminal part of YAP•Narciclasine competes with TEAD4 for binding to YAP•Narciclasine suppresses mesothelioma cell proliferation•Narciclasine inhibits mesothelioma tumor growth when xenografted into nude mice•Narciclasine analogs may be developed for the treatment of cancers with hyperactivation and/or overexpression of YAP Yes-associated protein (YAP) is involved in development, cell growth, cell size, and homeostasis and plays a key role in the progression of various cancers. Among them, constitutive activation of YAP can often be observed in malignant mesothelioma, which arises in the pleura, peritoneum, and pericardium because of inactivation of the Hippo pathway. To date, however, only less-effective treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery are available for patients with malignant mesothelioma. In this study, we identified narciclasine as a novel YAP inhibitor that prevents YAP from interacting with TEAD4 because it competes with TEAD4 for binding to YAP. Furthermore, narciclasine could perturb the cell growth and colony formation of malignant mesothelioma NCI-H290 cells in addition to inhibiting their growth in nude mice. Therefore, narciclasine might be a potential seed for a novel antitumor drug against malignant mesothelioma and other cancers in which hyperactivation and/or overexpression of YAP are observed.