Alteration of TEAD1 expression levels confers apoptotic resistance through the transcriptional up-regulation of Livin

Positive Association of TEAD1 With Schizophrenia in a Northeast Chinese Han Population

OBJECTIVE

Schizophrenia is a complex and devastating psychiatric disorder with a strong genetic background. However, much uncertainty still exists about the role of genetic susceptibility in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. TEA domain transcription factor 1 (TEAD1) is a transcription factor associated with neurodevelopment and has modulating effects on various nervous system diseases. In the current study, we performed a case-control association study in a Northeast Chinese Han population to explore the characteristics of pathogenic TEAD1 polymorphisms and potential association with schizophrenia.

METHODS

We recruited a total of 721 schizophrenia patients and 1,195 healthy controls in this study. The 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene region of TEAD1 were selected and genotyped.

RESULTS

The genetic association analyses showed that five SNPs (rs12289262, rs6485989, rs4415740, rs7113256, and rs1866709) were significantly different between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls in allele or/and genotype frequencies. After Bonferroni correction, the association of three SNPs (rs4415740, rs7113256, and rs1866709) with schizophrenia were still evident. Haplotype analysis revealed that two strong linkage disequilibrium blocks (rs6485989-rs4415740-rs7113256 and rs16911710-rs12364619-rs1866709) were globally associated with schizophrenia. Four haplotypes (C-C-C and T-T-T, rs6485989-rs4415740-rs7113256; G-T-A and G-T-G, rs16911710-rs12364619-rs1866709) were significantly different between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

The current findings indicated that the human TEAD1 gene has a genetic association with schizophrenia in the Chinese Han population and may act as a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia.

Progress with YAP/TAZ-TEAD inhibitors: a patent review (2018-present)

INTRODUCTION

The Hippo pathway represents a new opportunity for the treatment of cancer. Overexpression of Yes-associated protein (YAP) or transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) or TEAD has been demonstrated in cancers and YAP mediates resistance to cancer drugs. Since 2018, the potential of this pathway has been illustrated by numerous articles and patents and the first drugs entering in clinical trial phase 1.

AREAS COVERED

This review is limited to published patent applications that have disclosed direct small-molecule inhibitors of the YAP/TAZ-TEAD interaction.

EXPERT OPINION

The YAP/TAZ-TEAD transcriptional complex is a promising target for the treatment of cancer. Approximately 30 international patents (used database: Sci-finder, query: TEAD; documents: patents; period: from 2017-January 2022) that disclose TEAD transcriptional inhibitors have been filled since 2018. The mechanism of action is not always described in the patents, we can divide the drugs into three different categories: (i) external TEAD ligands; (ii) non-covalent TEAD ligands of the palmitate pocket; (iii) covalent TEAD ligands, which bind into the palmitate pocket. The first molecules in clinical trial phase 1 are non-covalent TEAD ligands. The selective TEAD ligand have also been patented, published and selectivity could be of great interest for personalized medicine.

The investigation of hippo signaling pathway in mouse uterus during peri-implantation period

PURPOSE

Events in the uterus during the peri-implantation period include embryo development, acquisition of uterine receptivity, implantation and decidualization. Hippo signaling pathway regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation. We aimed to determine localization and expressions of pYAP (Phospho Yes-associated protein), YAP (Yes-associated protein), TEAD1 (TEA domain family member 1) and CTGF (Connective tissue growth factor), members of the Hippo signaling pathway, in the mouse uterus during the peri-implantation period.

METHODS

Pregnant mice were randomly separated into 5 groups: 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th days of pregnancy groups. Non-pregnant female mice in estrous phase were included in the estrous group. Uteri and implantation sites were collected. Also, inter-implantation sites were collected from the 5th day of pregnancy group. pYAP, YAP, TEAD-1 and CTGF were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.

RESULTS

We observed that the expressions of YAP, TEAD-1 and CTGF were increased in the luminal and glandular epithelium on the 1st and 4th days of pregnancy when epithelial proliferation occurred. pYAP expression was high, and YAP and CTGF expressions were low in the luminal epithelium of the implantation sites on the 5th day of pregnancy, when epithelial differentiation occurred. pYAP expression was low, YAP and CTGF expressions were high at implantation sites on the 6th and 8th days of pregnancy, where decidua was formed.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the Hippo signaling pathway might be involved in implantation and decidualization. Our findings will guide further studies and may help to elucidate underlying causes of implantation failure and pregnancy loss.

Toward the Design of Ligands Selective for the C-Terminal Domain of TEADs

The Hippo signaling pathway plays a fundamental role in the control of organ growth, cell proliferation, and stem cell characters. TEADs are the main transcriptional output regulators of the Hippo signaling pathway and bind to YAP and TAZ co-activators. TEAD1-4 are expressed differently, depending on the tissue and developmental level, and can be overexpressed in certain pathologies. TEAD ligands mainly target the internal pocket of the C-terminal domain of TEAD, and the first ligands selective for TEAD1 and TEAD3 have been recently reported. In this paper, we focus on the topographic homology of the TEAD C-terminal domain both externally and in the internal pocket to highlight the possibility of rationally designing ligands selective for one of the TEAD family members. We identified a novel TEAD2-specific pocket and reported its first ligand. Finally, AlphaFold2 models of full-length TEADs suggest TEAD autoregulation and emphasize the importance of the interface 2.

Novel insights from a multiomics dissection of the hayflick limit

The process wherein dividing cells exhaust proliferative capacity and enter into replicative senescence has become a prominent model for cellular aging in vitro. Despite decades of study, this cellular state is not fully understood in culture and even much less so during aging. Here, we revisit Leonard Hayflick’s original observation of replicative senescence in WI-38 human lung fibroblasts equipped with a battery of modern techniques including RNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, proteomics, metabolomics, and ATAC-seq. We find evidence that the transition to a senescent state manifests early, increases gradually, and corresponds to a concomitant global increase in DNA accessibility in nucleolar and lamin associated domains. Furthermore, we demonstrate that senescent WI-38 cells acquire a striking resemblance to myofibroblasts in a process similar to the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) that is regulated by t YAP1/TEAD1 and TGF-β2. Lastly, we show that verteporfin inhibition of YAP1/TEAD1 activity in aged WI-38 cells robustly attenuates this gene expression program.

Hippo signaling effectors YAP and TAZ induce Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) lytic reactivation through TEADs in epithelial cells

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) human herpesvirus is associated with B-cell and epithelial-cell malignancies, and both the latent and lytic forms of viral infection contribute to the development of EBV-associated tumors. Here we show that the Hippo signaling effectors, YAP and TAZ, promote lytic EBV reactivation in epithelial cells. The transcriptional co-activators YAP/TAZ (which are inhibited by Hippo signaling) interact with DNA-binding proteins, particularly TEADs, to induce transcription. We demonstrate that depletion of either YAP or TAZ inhibits the ability of phorbol ester (TPA) treatment, cellular differentiation or the EBV BRLF1 immediate-early (IE) protein to induce lytic EBV reactivation in oral keratinocytes, and show that over-expression of constitutively active forms of YAP and TAZ reactivate lytic EBV infection in conjunction with TEAD family members. Mechanistically, we find that YAP and TAZ interact with, and activate, the EBV BZLF1 immediate-early promoter. Furthermore, we demonstrate that YAP, TAZ, and TEAD family members are expressed at much higher levels in epithelial cell lines in comparison to B-cell lines, and find that EBV infection of oral keratinocytes increases the level of activated (dephosphorylated) YAP and TAZ. Finally, we have discovered that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a known YAP/TAZ activator that plays an important role in inflammation, induces EBV lytic reactivation in epithelial cells through a YAP/TAZ dependent mechanism. Together these results establish that YAP/TAZ are powerful inducers of the lytic form of EBV infection and suggest that the ability of EBV to enter latency in B cells at least partially reflects the extremely low levels of YAP/TAZ and TEADs in this cell type.

Exploring TEAD2 as a drug target for therapeutic intervention of cancer: A multi-computational case study

Transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) is a family of transcription factors that plays a significant role during embryonic developmental processes, and its dysregulation is responsible for tumour progression. TEAD is considered as druggable targets in various diseases, namely cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. Previous structural studies revealed the importance of the central hydrophobic pocket of TEAD as a potential target for small-molecule inhibitors and demonstrated flufenamic acid (FLU) (a COX-2 enzyme inhibitor) to bind and inhibit TEAD2 functions. However, to date, no drug candidates that bind specifically to TEAD2 with high selectivity and efficacy have been developed or proposed. Within this framework, we present here a case study where we have identified potential TEAD2 inhibitor candidates by integrating multiple computational approaches. Among the candidates, the top two ranked compounds ZINC95969481 (LG1) which is a fused pyrazole derivative and ZINC05203789 (LG2), a fluorene derivative resulted in much favourable binding energy scores than the reference ligand, FLU. The drug likeliness of the best compounds was also evaluated in silico to ensure the bioavailability of these compounds particularly LG1 as compared to FLU thus providing a strong rationale for their development as leads against TEAD. Molecular dynamics simulations results highlighted the role of key residues contributing to favourable interactions in TEAD2-LG1 complex with much favourable interaction and binding free energy values with respect to the reference compound. Altogether, this study provides a starting platform to be more exploited by future experimental research towards the development of inhibitors against TEAD, a persuasive strategy for therapeutic intervention in cancer treatment.

Identification of contributing genes of Huntington's disease by machine learning

Background

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited disorder caused by the polyglutamine (poly-Q) mutations of the HTT gene results in neurodegeneration characterized by chorea, loss of coordination, cognitive decline. However, HD pathogenesis is still elusive. Despite the availability of a wide range of biological data, a comprehensive understanding of HD’s mechanism from machine learning is so far unrealized, majorly due to the lack of needed data density.

Methods

To harness the knowledge of the HD pathogenesis from the expression profiles of postmortem prefrontal cortex samples of 157 HD and 157 controls, we used gene profiling ranking as the criteria to reduce the dimension to the order of magnitude of the sample size, followed by machine learning using the decision tree, rule induction, random forest, and generalized linear model.

Results

These four Machine learning models identified 66 potential HD-contributing genes, with the cross-validated accuracy of 90.79 ± 4.57%, 89.49 ± 5.20%, 90.45 ± 4.24%, and 97.46 ± 3.26%, respectively. The identified genes enriched the gene ontology of transcriptional regulation, inflammatory response, neuron projection, and the cytoskeleton. Moreover, three genes in the cognitive, sensory, and perceptual systems were also identified.

Conclusions

The mutant HTT may interfere with both the expression and transport of these identified genes to promote the HD pathogenesis.

Methodology to analyze gene expression patterns of early mammary development in pig models

In mammary gland development, normal stem cell activity occurs in the embryonic stage and postnatally. Research supports that certain breast cancers contain a small sub-population of cells that mimic stem-like activity. It is believed stem cell activation in the mutated mature human mammary tissue is what drives quiescent epithelial cells to convert to mesenchymal states initiating migration, invasion, and metastasis in breast cancer. The goal of the work reported herein was to investigate early mammary development gene expression in the postnatal pig using fine needle biopsy methods in order to establish a reliable model for human breast cancer detection. Tissue samples were collected from pig mammary glands beginning at Day 11 of age through Day 39 in order to capture early postnatal-growth gene expression. Based on the initial clustering analysis, two distinct clusters of gene expression profiles occurred before and after Day 25 of mammary development. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) ontology indicated the cellular processes that changed after Day 25, and many of these processes were implicated in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling events. Gene expression in the postnatal pig was compared with the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition gene database (dbEMT) confirming the presence of EMT activity in this early developmental program. Information from this study will provide insight into early postnatal mammary gland development. In addition, mechanisms exploited by mutated mammary epithelial cells leading to cancer initiation and growth may be detected considering that mutated mammary epithelial cells can reactivate early developmental signals.

Combining Landscape Genomics and Ecological Modelling to Investigate Local Adaptation of Indigenous Ugandan Cattle to East Coast Fever

East Coast fever (ECF) is a fatal sickness affecting cattle populations of eastern, central, and southern Africa. The disease is transmitted by the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, and caused by the protozoan Theileria parva parva, which invades host lymphocytes and promotes their clonal expansion. Importantly, indigenous cattle show tolerance to infection in ECF-endemically stable areas. Here, the putative genetic bases underlying ECF-tolerance were investigated using molecular data and epidemiological information from 823 indigenous cattle from Uganda. Vector distribution and host infection risk were estimated over the study area and subsequently tested as triggers of local adaptation by means of landscape genomics analysis. We identified 41 and seven candidate adaptive loci for tick resistance and infection tolerance, respectively. Among the genes associated with the candidate adaptive loci are PRKG1 and SLA2. PRKG1 was already described as associated with tick resistance in indigenous South African cattle, due to its role into inflammatory response. SLA2 is part of the regulatory pathways involved into lymphocytes' proliferation. Additionally, local ancestry analysis suggested the zebuine origin of the genomic region candidate for tick resistance.

Regulation of the Hippo Pathway Transcription Factor TEAD

The TEAD transcription factor family is best known for transcriptional output of the Hippo signaling pathway and has been implicated in processes such as development, cell growth and proliferation, tissue homeostasis, and regeneration. Our understanding of the functional importance of TEADs has increased dramatically since its initial discovery three decades ago. The majority of our knowledge of TEADs is in the context of Hippo signaling as nuclear DNA-binding proteins passively activated by Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional activator with PDZ-binding domain (TAZ), transcription coactivators downstream of the Hippo pathway. However, recent studies suggest that TEAD itself is actively regulated. Here, we highlight evidence demonstrating Hippo-independent regulation of TEADs and the potential impacts these studies may have on new cancer therapeutics.

TEAD1 mediates the oncogenic activities of Hippo-YAP1 signaling in osteosarcoma

Hippo signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved developmental network that governs the downstream transcriptional co-activators, YAP and TAZ, which bind to and activate the output of TEADs that responsible for cell proliferation, apoptosis, and stem cell self renewal. Emerging evidence has shown the tumor suppressor properties of Hippo signaling. However, limited knowledge is available concerning the downstream transcription factors of Hippo pathway in osteosarcoma (OS). In this study, we demonstrated that TEAD1 was the major transcription factor of Hippo signaling pathway in OS. Genetic silencing of TEAD1 suppressed multiple malignant phenotypes of OS cells including cell proliferation, apoptosis resistance, and invasive potential. Mechanistically, we showed that TEAD1 largely exerted its transcriptional control of its functional targets, PTGS2 and CYR61. Collectively, this work identifies the YAP1/TEAD1 complex as the representative dysregulated profile of Hippo signaling in OS and provides proof-of-principle that targeting TEAD1 may be a therapeutic strategy of osteosarcoma.

MiR-590-3p suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma growth by targeting TEAD1

MicroRNA signature is altered in different disease states including cancer, and some microRNAs act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. MiR-590-3p has been shown to be involved in human cancer progression. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma remains unknown. In this study, miR-590-3p level was measured, and clinicopathological features were determined in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. The function of miR-590-3p was examined in vitro and in vivo. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated downregulation of miR-590-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, and its downregulation was associated with a poor overall survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Ectopic expression of miR-590-3p promoted growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells, whereas its depletion inhibited cell growth. Transcriptional enhancer activator domain 1 was identified as a validated miR-590-3p target. Upregulation of transcriptional enhancer activator domain 1 was found in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and inversely correlated with miR-590-3p. Our results indicate a tumor suppressor role of miR-590-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma through targeting transcriptional enhancer activator domain 1 and suggest its use in the diagnosis and prognosis of liver cancer.

An evolutionary, structural and functional overview of the mammalian TEAD1 and TEAD2 transcription factors

TEAD proteins constitute a family of highly conserved transcription factors, characterized by a DNA-binding domain called the TEA domain and a protein-binding domain that permits association with transcriptional co-activators. TEAD proteins are unable to induce transcription on their own. They have to interact with transcriptional cofactors to do so. Once TEADs bind their co-activators, the different complexes formed are known to regulate the expression of genes that are crucial for embryonic development, important for organ formation (heart, muscles), and involved in cell death and proliferation. In the first part of this review we describe what is known of the structure of TEAD proteins. We then focus on two members of the family: TEAD1 and TEAD2. First the different transcriptional cofactors are described. These proteins can be classified in three categories: i), cofactors regulating chromatin conformation, ii), cofactors able to bind DNA, and iii), transcriptional cofactors without DNA binding domain. Finally we discuss the recent findings that identified TEAD1 and 2 and its coactivators involved in cancer progression.

The MST/Hippo Pathway and Cell Death: A Non-Canonical Affair

The MST/Hippo signalling pathway was first described over a decade ago in Drosophila melanogaster and the core of the pathway is evolutionary conserved in mammals. The mammalian MST/Hippo pathway regulates organ size, cell proliferation and cell death. In addition, it has been shown to play a central role in the regulation of cellular homeostasis and it is commonly deregulated in human tumours. The delineation of the canonical pathway resembles the behaviour of the Hippo pathway in the fly where the activation of the core kinases of the pathway prevents the proliferative signal mediated by the key effector of the pathway YAP. Nevertheless, several lines of evidence support the idea that the mammalian MST/Hippo pathway has acquired new features during evolution, including different regulators and effectors, crosstalk with other essential signalling pathways involved in cellular homeostasis and the ability to actively trigger cell death. Here we describe the current knowledge of the mechanisms that mediate MST/Hippo dependent cell death, especially apoptosis. We include evidence for the existence of complex signalling networks where the core proteins of the pathway play a central role in controlling the balance between survival and cell death. Finally, we discuss the possible involvement of these signalling networks in several human diseases such as cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.

The TEAD Family and Its Oncogenic Role in Promoting Tumorigenesis

The TEAD family of transcription factors is necessary for developmental processes. The family members contain a TEA domain for the binding with DNA elements and a transactivation domain for the interaction with transcription coactivators. TEAD proteins are required for the participation of coactivators to transmit the signal of pathways for the downstream signaling processes. TEADs also play an important role in tumor initiation and facilitate cancer progression via activating a series of progression-inducing genes, such as CTGF, Cyr61, Myc and Gli2. Recent studies have highlighted that TEADs, together with their coactivators, promote or even act as the crucial parts in the development of various malignancies, such as liver, ovarian, breast and prostate cancers. Furthermore, TEADs are proposed to be useful prognostic biomarkers due to the ideal correlation between high expression and clinicopathological parameters in gastric, breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. In this review, we summarize the functional role of TEAD proteins in tumorigenesis and discuss the key role of TEAD transcription factors in the linking of signal cascade transductions. Improved knowledge of the TEAD proteins will be helpful for deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and identifying ideal predictive or prognostic biomarkers, even providing clinical translation for anticancer therapy in human cancers.

The interplay between TEAD4 and KLF5 promotes breast cancer partially through inhibiting the transcription of p27Kip1

Growing evidence suggests that YAP/TAZ are mediators of the Hippo pathway and promote breast cancer. However, the roles of YAP/TAZ transcription factor partners TEADs in breast cancer remain unclear. Here we found that TEAD4 was expressed in breast cancer cell lines, especially in triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) cell lines. TEAD4 binds to KLF5. Knockdown of either TEAD4 or KLF5 in HCC1937 and HCC1806 cells induced the expression of CDK inhibitor p27. Depletion of either TEAD4 or KLF5 activated the p27 gene promoter and increased the p27 mRNA levels. Depletion of p27 partially prevents growth inhibition caused by TEAD4 and KLF5 knockdown. TEAD4 overexpression stimulated proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in mice, while stable knockdown of TEAD4 inhibited proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in mice. Thus TEAD4 and KLF5, in collaboration, promoted TNBC cell proliferation and tumor growth in part by inhibiting p27 gene transcription. TEAD4 is a potential target and biomarker for the development of novel therapeutics for breast cancer.

MicroRNA-124 expression counteracts pro-survival stress responses in glioblastoma

Glioblastomas are aggressive adult brain tumors, characterized by inadequately organized vasculature and consequent nutrient and oxygen (O2)-depleted areas. Adaptation to low nutrients and hypoxia supports glioblastoma cell survival, progression and therapeutic resistance. However, specific mechanisms promoting cellular survival under nutrient and O2 deprivation remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that miR-124 expression is negatively correlated with a hypoxic gene signature in glioblastoma patient samples, suggesting that low miR-124 levels contribute to pro-survival adaptive pathways in this disease. As miR-124 expression is repressed in various cancer types (including glioblastoma), we quantified miR-124 abundance in normoxic and hypoxic regions in glioblastoma patient tissue, and investigated whether ectopic miR-124 expression compromises cell survival during tumor ischemia. Our results indicate that miR-124 levels are further diminished in hypoxic/ischemic regions within individual glioblastoma patient samples, compared with regions replete in O2 and nutrients. Importantly, we also show that increased miR-124 expression affects the ability of tumor cells to survive under O2 and/or nutrient deprivation. Moreover, miR-124 re-expression increases cell death in vivo and enhances the survival of mice bearing intracranial xenograft tumors. miR-124 exerts this phenotype in part by directly regulating TEAD1, MAPK14/p38α and SERP1, factors involved in cell proliferation and survival under stress. Simultaneous suppression of these miR-124 targets results in similar levels of cell death as caused by miR-124 restoration. Importantly, we further demonstrate that SERP1 reintroduction reverses the hypoxic cell death elicited by miR-124, indicating the importance of SERP1 in promoting tumor cell survival. In support of our experimental data, we observed a significant correlation between high SERP1 levels and poor patient outcome in glioblastoma patients. Collectively, among the many pro-tumorigeneic properties of miR-124 repression in glioblastoma, we delineated a novel role in promoting tumor cell survival under stressful microenvironments, thereby supporting tumor progression.

A TEAD1/p65 complex regulates the eutherian-conserved MnSOD intronic enhancer, eRNA transcription and the innate immune response

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), a critical anti-oxidant enzyme, detoxifies the mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species, superoxide, elicited through normal respiration or the inflammatory response. Proinflammatory stimuli induce MnSOD gene expression through a eutherian-conserved, intronic enhancer element. We identified two prototypic enhancer binding proteins, TEAD1 and p65, that when co-expressed induce MnSOD expression comparable to pro-inflammatory stimuli. TEAD1 causes the nuclear sequestration of p65 leading to a novel TEAD1/p65 complex that associates with the intronic enhancer and is necessary for cytokine induction of MnSOD. Unlike typical NF-κB-responsive genes, the induction of MnSOD does not involve p50. Beyond MnSOD, the TEAD1/p65 complex regulates a subset of genes controlling the innate immune response that were previously viewed as solely NF-κB-dependent. We also identified an enhancer-derived RNA (eRNA) that is induced by either proinflammatory stimuli or the TEAD1/p65 complex, potentially linking the intronic enhancer to intra- and interchromosomal gene regulation through the inducible eRNA.

Emerging roles of TEAD transcription factors and its coactivators in cancers

TEAD proteins are transcription factors that are crucial for development, but also play a role in cancers. Several developmentally and pathologically important genes are upregulated by TEADs. TEADs have a TEA domain that enables them to bind specific DNA elements and a transactivation domain that enables them to interact with coactivators. TEADs on their own are unable to activate transcription and they require the help of coactivators. Several TEAD-interacting coactivators are known and they can be classified into three groups: (1) YAP and its paralog TAZ; (2) Vgll proteins; and (3) p160s. Accordingly, these coactivators also play a role in development and cancers. Recent studies have shown that TEADs and their coactivators aid in the progression of various cancers, including the difficult to treat glioblastoma, liver and ovarian cancers. They facilitate cancer progression through expression of proliferation promoting genes such as c-myc, survivin, Axl, CTGF and Cyr61. There is also a good correlation between high TEAD or its coactivator expression and poor prognosis in various cancers. Given the fact that TEADs and their coactivators need to work together for a functional outcome, disrupting the interaction between them appears to be a viable option for cancer therapy. Structures of TEAD-coactivator complexes have been elucidated and will facilitate drug design and development.