In damaged kidneys, increased extracellular matrix (ECM) and tissue stiffness stimulate
kidney fibrosis through incompletely characterized molecular mechanisms. The
transcriptional coactivators yes-associated protein (Yap) and transcriptional coactivator with
PDZ-binding motif (Taz) function as mechanosensors in cancer cells and have been
implicated in the regulation of myofibroblasts in the kidney. We hypothesized that the
development of kidney fibrosis depends on Yap-induced activation and proliferation of …