Fig. 2: Activation of YAP by high matrix stiffness.
From: Liver mechanosignaling as a natural anti-hepatitis B virus mechanism
a, b PHHs were plated on collagen-I-coated hydrogels with stiffness ranging from soft to stiff (0.4 ~ 13.8 kPa). Western blot showing the amounts of total YAP and p-YAP (inactive). The two YAP bands detected were due to differential splicing (a). Immunofluorescence images showing YAP (red) in correlation with actin stress fibers (phalloidin: green) and nuclear DNA (DAPI: blue) (b). The experiment was repeated three times independently with similar results. c Measurement of YAP activity by luciferase reporter assay (8×GTIIC-luc) (three biological replicates). d Over-representation of YAP target genes among the genes regulated by matrix stiffness using a one-sided Fisher’s exact test. (YAPa, CORDENONSI YAP CONSERVED SIGNATURE; YAPb, YAP signature; supplementary Data 1). e Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify activation states of YAP-related pathways. f GSEA enrichment plot between PMH cultured on soft (0.4 kPa) and stiff (13.8 kPa) hydrogel for 2 days. g Immunofluorescence images of PHH that were plated on the hydrogel, infected with HBV for 1 day, and then cultured for an additional day. The experiment was repeated three times independently with similar results. The data are represented as mean ± SD. P value by two-tailed Student’s t-test (c) and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (e, f). Source data are provided as a Source Data file. (*P < 0.05; **P < 0.01).
