Summary Background In preimplantation mouse embryos, the first cell fate specification to the trophectoderm or inner cell mass occurs by the early blastocyst stage. The cell fate is controlled by cell position-dependent Hippo signaling, although the mechanisms underlying position-dependent Hippo signaling are unknown. Results We showed that a combination of cell polarity and cell–cell adhesion establishes position-dependent Hippo signaling, where the outer and inner cells are polar and nonpolar, respectively. The junction-associated proteins angiomotin (Amot) and Amotl2 are essential for Hippo pathway activation and appropriate cell fate specification. In the nonpolar inner cells, Amot localizes to adherens junctions (AJs) and cell–cell adhesion activates the Hippo pathway. In the outer cells, the cell polarity sequesters Amot from basolateral AJs to apical domains, thereby suppressing Hippo signaling. The N-terminal domain of Amot is required for actin binding, Nf2/Merlin-mediated association with the E-cadherin complex, and interaction with Lats protein kinase. In AJs, Ser176 in the N-terminal domain of Amot is phosphorylated by Lats, which inhibits the actin-binding activity, thereby stabilizing the Amot–Lats interaction to activate the Hippo pathway. Conclusion We propose that the phosphorylation of S176 in Amot is a critical step for activation of the Hippo pathway in AJs and that cell polarity disconnects the Hippo pathway from cell–cell adhesion by sequestering Amot from AJ. This mechanism converts positional information into differential Hippo signaling, thereby leading to differential cell fates.

The zeta isotype of protein kinase C (PKCzeta) is a member of the atypical PKC subfamily and has been widely implicated in the regulation of cellular functions. Increasing evidence from studies using in vitro and in vivo systems points to PKCzeta as a key regulator of critical intracellular signaling pathways induced by various extracellular stimuli. The major activation pathway of PKCzeta depends on phosphatidylinositol (PI)-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP(3)), which is mainly produced by PI-3 kinase. 3'-PI-dependent protein kinase 1, which binds with high affinity to PIP(3), phosphorylates and activates PKCzeta. Many studies demonstrated the involvement of PKCzeta in the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade, transcriptional factor NFkappaB activation, ribosomal S6-protein kinase signaling, and cell polarity. An important molecular event in a cell is the association of PKCzeta with other signaling molecules, as well as scaffold proteins, to form large complexes that regulate their pathways. The understanding of the mechanisms underlying PKCzeta-mediated control of intracellular signaling is beginning to provide important insights into the roles of PKCzeta in various cells.

Protein kinase C (PKC) plays a crucial role(s) in regulation of growth and differentiation of cells. In the present study, we examined possible roles of the ␣, ␦, , and isoforms of PKC in squamous differentiation by overexpressing these genes in normal human keratinocytes. Because of the difficulty of introducing foreign genes into keratinocytes, we used an adenovirus vector system, Ax, which allows expression of these genes at a

Apoptosis and inflammation generally exert opposite effects on tumorigenesis: apoptosis serves as a barrier to tumour initiation, whereas inflammation promotes tumorigenesis. Although both events are induced by various common stressors, relatively little is known about the stress-induced signalling pathways regulating these events in tumorigenesis. Here, we show that stress-activated MAP3Ks, ASK1 and ASK2, which are involved in cellular responses to various stressors such as reactive oxygen species, differentially regulate the initiation and promotion of tumorigenesis. ASK2 in cooperation with ASK1 functioned as a tumour suppressor by exerting proapoptotic activity in epithelial cells, which was consistent with the reduction in ASK2 expression in human cancer cells and tissues. In contrast, ASK1-dependent cytokine production in inflammatory cells promoted tumorigenesis. Our findings suggest that ASK1 and ASK2 are critically involved in tumorigenesis by differentially regulating apoptosis and inflammation.