Bile canaliculi remodeling activates YAP via the actin cytoskeleton during liver regeneration

• Published in: Molecular systems biology Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. e8985 - n/a
• Main Authors: Meyer, Kirstin, Morales‐Navarrete, Hernan, Seifert, Sarah, Wilsch‐Braeuninger, Michaela, Dahmen, Uta, Tanaka, Elly M, Brusch, Lutz, Kalaidzidis, Yannis, Zerial, Marino
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England EMBO Press 01.02.2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Springer Nature
• Subjects: Acids; Actin; actin cytoskeleton; Actin Cytoskeleton - metabolism; Actins - metabolism; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing - metabolism; Animals; Bile; Bile acids; Bile Acids and Salts - metabolism; bile canaliculi; Bile Canaliculi - metabolism; Bile ducts; Cell Cycle Proteins - metabolism; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; Cells, Cultured; Cytoskeleton; Digital imaging; Geometry; Hepatocytes; Hepatocytes - cytology; Hepatocytes - metabolism; Homeostasis; Image analysis; Image processing; Image reconstruction; Liver; Liver Regeneration; Male; Mechanical properties; Mechanotransduction, Cellular; mechano‐sensing; Mice; Microscopy; Myosin; Myosins - metabolism; Organ Size; Overloading; Protein Transport; Regeneration; Systems Biology; Tissues; Transcription; Variation; YAP; Yes-associated protein; actin cytoskeleton; YAP; bile canaliculi; liver regeneration; mechano-sensing
• ISSN: 1744-4292; 1744-4292
• DOI: 10.15252/msb.20198985

The mechanisms of organ size control remain poorly understood. A key question is how cells collectively sense the overall status of a tissue. We addressed this problem focusing on mouse liver regeneration. Using digital tissue reconstruction and quantitative image analysis, we found that the apical surface of hepatocytes forming the bile canalicular network expands concomitant with an increase in F‐actin and phospho‐myosin, to compensate an overload of bile acids. These changes are sensed by the Hippo transcriptional co‐activator YAP, which localizes to apical F‐actin‐rich regions and translocates to the nucleus in dependence of the integrity of the actin cytoskeleton. This mechanism tolerates moderate bile acid fluctuations under tissue homeostasis, but activates YAP in response to sustained bile acid overload. Using an integrated biophysical–biochemical model of bile pressure and Hippo signaling, we explained this behavior by the existence of a mechano‐sensory mechanism that activates YAP in a switch‐like manner. We propose that the apical surface of hepatocytes acts as a self‐regulatory mechano‐sensory system that responds to critical levels of bile acids as readout of tissue status. Synopsis This study shows that the apical surface of hepatocytes acts as a self‐regulatory mechano‐sensory system that responds to critical levels of bile acids as readout of tissue status and activates YAP, by a mechanism dependent on the actin cytoskeleton. During regeneration, the bile canalicular network expands concomitant with an increase of F‐actin and phospho‐Myosin, to compensate an overload of bile acids. The bile canaliculi expansion is sensed by the transcriptional co‐activator YAP, which localizes to apical F‐actin‐rich regions of hepatocytes and translocates to the nucleus depending on the actin cytoskeleton. An integrated biophysical‐biochemical model of bile pressure and Hippo signalling suggests a mechano‐sensory mechanism that activates YAP in a switch‐like manner upon bile acid overload. This study shows that the apical surface of hepatocytes acts as a self‐regulatory mechano‐sensory system that responds to critical levels of bile acids as readout of tissue status and activates YAP, by a mechanism dependent on the actin cytoskeleton.