Stage differential effects of verteporfin on the differentiation of chick embryo wing bud mesenchymal cells

• Published in: Biológia Vol. 74; no. 9; pp. 1219 - 1228
• Main Authors: Jeong, Bohyeon, Kim, DongHyun, Kim, Juhee, Sonn, Jong Kyung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 15.09.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agglomeration; Alizarin; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical materials; Cadherins; Cell aggregation; Cell Biology; Cell culture; Cell differentiation; Cell proliferation; Chondrogenesis; Differentiation; Embryos; Fibronectin; Inhibition; Life Sciences; Mesenchyme; Microbiology; N-Cadherin; Original Article; Osteogenesis; Osteopontin; Plant Sciences; Staining; Transcription; Yes-associated protein; Zoology; YAP1; Aggregation; Verteporfin; Osteogenesis
• ISSN: 0006-3088; 1336-9563
• DOI: 10.2478/s11756-019-00282-3

Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) is a transcriptional co-activator that is involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of inhibition of YAP1 activity with vertepofin on the differentiation of mesenchymal cells at different time-points. Inhibition of YAP1 from the beginning of culture with verteporfin resulted in the suppression of chondrogenesis and cell aggregation, as well as expression of N-cadherin and fibronectin. Culturing constitutively active YAP1-overexpressing cells for 3 days had no effect on cell aggregation and differentiation and increased the expression of N-cadherin, while culturing these cells for 7 days displayed decreased Alcian blue staining. Inhibition of YAP1 activity with verteporfin at the late stage of each culture with different culture periods did not affect chondrogenesis. When the medium of cells cultured for 3, 6, or 8 days was changed to medium containing verteporfin, no changes in Alcian blue staining were evident in the next 1 to 2 days. Interestingly, in cells grown for 8 days in normal medium and incubated for 2 more days in the presence of verteporfin, Alizarin red S staining and osteopontin expression increased. Collectively, our results revealed that verteporfin regulates cell aggregation during early-stage differentiation and promotes osteogenesis at a late stage by inhibiting YAP1 activity.