Genome editing of Capsaspora owczarzaki suggests an ancestral function of the Hippo signaling effector YAP/TAZ/Yorkie in cytoskeletal dynamics but not proliferation

Abstract

AbstractMany genes that function in animal development are present in the close unicellular relatives of animals, but little is known regarding the premetazoan function of these genes. Here, we develop techniques for genetic manipulation in the filasterean Capsaspora owczarzaki and use these tools to characterize the Capsaspora ortholog of the Hippo signaling nuclear effector YAP/TAZ/Yorkie (coYki). In contrast to its potent oncogene activity in metazoans, we show that coYki is dispensable for cell proliferation but regulates cytoskeletal dynamics and the morphology of multicellular aggregates in Capsaspora. Our results suggest an ancestral role for the Hippo pathway in cytoskeletal regulation, which was later co-opted to regulate cell proliferation in animals.One Sentence SummaryGene disruption in a unicellular holozoan suggests an ancestral role for YAP/TAZ/Yorkie in cytoskeletal regulation and cell aggregation but not cell proliferation.