Dual function of partitioning-defective 3 in the regulation of YAP phosphorylation and activation

Partitioning-defective 3 (Par3), a key component of the evolutionarily conserved polarity PAR complex (Par3/Par6/aPKC), controls cell polarity and contributes to cell migration, proliferation and tumor development. Emerging evidence indicates that cell polarity proteins function as upstream modulators that regulate the Hippo pathway. However, little is known about Par3’s involvement in the Hippo pathway. Here, we find Par3 and YAP dynamically co-localize in different subcellular compartments; that is, the membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus, in a cell-density-dependent manner. Interestingly, Par3 knockdown promotes YAP phosphorylation, leading to a significant impairment of YAP nuclear translocation at low cell density, but not at high density, in MDCK cells. Furthermore, via its third PDZ domain, Par3 directly binds to the PDZ-binding motif of YAP. The interaction is required for regulating YAP phosphorylation and nuclear localization. Mechanistically, Par3, as a scaffold protein, associates with LATS1 and protein phosphatase 1, α subunit (PP1A) in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Par3 promotes the dephosphorylation of LATS1 and YAP, thus enhancing YAP activation and cell proliferation. Strikingly, we also find that under the condition of PP1A knockdown, Par3 expression promotes YAP hyperphosphorylation, leading to the suppression of YAP activity and its downstream targets. Par3 expression results in differential effects on YAP phosphorylation and activation in different tumor cell lines. These findings indicate that Par3 may have a dual role in regulating the activation of the Hippo pathway, in a manner possibly dependent on cellular context or cell type in response to cell–cell contact and cell polarity signals.