Hippo signaling in the liver - A long and ever-expanding story

Abstract

The first description of Hippo signaling in mammals a little more than 10 years ago showed a striking phenotype in the liver, linking the role of this signaling pathway to organ size control and carcinogenesis. Even though Hippo signaling has been extensively studied in the liver and other organs over the recent years, many open questions remain in our understanding of its role in hepatic physiology and disease. The functions of Hippo signaling extend well beyond cancer and organ size determination: components of upstream Hippo signaling and the downstream effectors YAP and TAZ are involved in a multitude of cell and non-cell autonomous functions including cell proliferation, survival, development, differentiation, metabolism, and cross-talk with the immune system. Moreover, regulation and biological functions of Hippo signaling are often organ or even cell type specific - making its role even more complex. Here, we give a concise overview of the role of Hippo signaling in the liver with a focus on cell-type specific functions. We outline open questions and future research directions that will help to improve our understanding of this important pathway in liver disease.