Hippo Pathway in Schwann Cells and Regeneration of Peripheral Nervous System

Hippo pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway consisting of a series of MST/LATS kinase complexes. Its key transcriptional co-activators YAP and TAZ regulate transcription factors such as TEAD family to direct gene expression. The regulation of Hippo pathway, especially the nuclear level change of YAP and TAZ, significantly influences the cell fate switching from proliferation to differentiation, regeneration and post-injury repair. This review outlines the main findings of Hippo pathway in peripheral nerve development, regeneration, and tumorigenesis, especially the studies in Schwann cells. We also summarize other roles of Hippo pathway in damage repair of peripheral nerve system and discuss the potential future research which probably contributes to novel therapeutic strategies.