Publications
Cancer DiscoveryJul 2024 |
14
(
12
),
2471-2488
DOI:
10.1158/2159-8290.cd-23-1529

MARK2/MARK3 Kinases Are Catalytic Codependencies of YAP/TAZ in Human Cancer

Klingbeil, Olaf; Skopelitis, Damianos; Tonelli, Claudia; Yoshimoto, Toyoki; Alpsoy, Aktan; Panepinto, Maria C.; Minicozzi, Francesca; Merrill, Joseph R.; Cafiero, Amanda M.; Aggarwal, Disha; Russo, Suzanne; Ha, Taehoon; Demerdash, Osama E.; Wee, Tse-Luen; Spector, David L.; Lyons, Scott K.; Tuveson, David A.; Cifani, Paolo; Vakoc, Christopher R.
Product Used
Variant Libraries
Abstract
The Hippo signaling pathway is commonly dysregulated in human cancer, which leads to a powerful tumor dependency on the YAP/TAZ transcriptional coactivators. Here, we used paralog co-targeting CRISPR screens to identify the kinases MARK2/3 as absolute catalytic requirements for YAP/TAZ function in diverse carcinoma and sarcoma contexts. Underlying this observation is direct MARK2/3-dependent phosphorylation of NF2 and YAP/TAZ, which effectively reverses the tumor suppressive activity of the Hippo module kinases LATS1/2. To simulate targeting of MARK2/3, we adapted the CagA protein from H. pylori as a catalytic inhibitor of MARK2/3, which we show can regress established tumors in vivo. Together, these findings reveal MARK2/3 as powerful co-dependencies of YAP/TAZ in human cancer; targets that may allow for pharmacology that restores Hippo pathway-mediated tumor suppression.
Product Used
Variant Libraries

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