Regulation of Hippo signaling by mechanical stimuli.

The Hippo pathway is known to monitor the mechanical environment both indirectly through the effects of various stimuli on the actin cytoskeleton, and more directly by sensing tension across tissues. My lab's focus has been on determining how F-actin levels and tension at cell-cell junctions are sensed, and how these signals are transduced to control Hippo signaling. We identified the angiomotin proteins as Hippo pathway sensors for F-actin levels and are currently studying how they control Hippo signaling. Our studies have also uncovered new Hippo pathway regulators at cell-cell junctions that may directly sense tension across tissues. Current research in the lab is focusing on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying F-actin and tension sensing, and how signals from separate sensors are integrated to generate cellular responses to mechanical stimuli.  

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