Deubiquitinase JOSD2 stabilizes YAP/TAZ to promote cholangiocarcinoma progression

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has emerged as an intractable cancer with scanty therapeutic regimens. The aberrant activation of Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are reported to be common in CCA patients. However, the underpinning mechanism remains poorly understood. Deubiquitinase (DUB) is regarded as a main orchestrator in maintaining protein homeostasis. Here, we identified Josephin domain-containing protein 2 (JOSD2) as an essential DUB of YAP/TAZ that sustained the protein level through cleavage of polyubiquitin chains in a deubiquitinase activity-dependent manner. The depletion of JOSD2 promoted YAP/TAZ proteasomal degradation and significantly impeded CCA proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Further analysis has highlighted the positive correlation between JOSD2 and YAP abundance in CCA patient samples. Collectively, this study uncovers the regulatory effects of JOSD2 on YAP/TAZ protein stabilities and profiles its contribution in CCA malignant progression, which may provide a potential intervention target for YAP/TAZ-related CCA patients.