Optogenetic control of YAP can enhance the rate of wound healing

Abstract

Tissues need to regenerate to restore function after injury. Yet, this regenerative capacity varies significantly between organs and between species. For example, in the case of the heart, while some species retain full regenerative capacity throughout their lifespan, human cardiac cells display only limited ability to repair injury. Here, we investigate in cell culture the role of the YAP, a transcriptional co-regulator with a pivotal role in growth, in driving repair after injury. Utilising an optogenetic version of YAP that enables precise control of pathway activation, we show that YAP can increase the speed of wound healing in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. Interestingly, this is not driven by an increase in proliferation, but by collective cell migration. We subsequently dissect specific phosphorylation sites in YAP to identify the molecular driver of accelerated healing. Overall, our results reveal that YAP activation - through controlled optogenetic activation - can potentially enhance wound healing in a range of conditions.