Hippo pathway component WWC1 is a key regulator of apoptosis and photosensitivity in lupus keratinocytes
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ABSTRACT: Skin inflammation and photosensitivity are common manifestations of cutaneous and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), yet the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Non-lesional SLE skin exhibits increased UVB-driven cell death that persists in culture, supporting a potential role for epigenetic modifications to sustain this phenotype. We thus examined differential DNA methylation of non-lesional SLE vs. healthy control keratinocytes (KC) and identified Hippo signaling as the top significantly differentially methylated pathway, likely driven by hypomethylation of WWC1, a scaffold protein and Hippo pathway regulator. Analysis of non-lesional SLE skin biopsies and SLE keratinocytes in culture confirmed WWC1 overexpression that led to enhanced phosphorylation of YAP resulting in a pro-apoptotic transcriptional profile reflective of decreased YAP/TEAD transcriptional coactivation. Functional studies of UV-mediated apoptosis confirmed a regulatory role for YAP/TEAD interactions, and blockade of overactive Hippo signaling via a LATS1/2 inhibitor abrogated enhanced apoptosis in SLE KCs. Thus, our work identifies a novel mechanistic paradigm in SLE KCs in which aberrant UVB-apoptosis is driven by Hippo signaling via promotion of YAP phosphorylation and restriction of YAP coactivation of TEAD transcriptional activity. Hippo modulation may be a novel target for photosensitivity in SLE and CLE.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE198972 | GEO | 2023/07/06
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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