Title:Physiological Roles of Hippo Signaling Pathway and Autophagy in
Dementia
Volume: 16
Issue: 2
Author(s): Andreas Christoper, Herry Herman, Rizky Abdulah, Felix Zulhendri, Ardo Sanjaya and Ronny Lesmana*
Affiliation:
- Department of
Biomedical Sciences, Physiology Division, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
- Division of Biological Activity, Central Laboratory, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
- Center of Excellence
in Higher Education for Pharmaceutical Care Innovation, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords:
Aging, autophagy, brain, dementia, Hippo signaling pathway, neurodegeneration.
Abstract:
Background: Dementia is a neurocognitive disorder associated with the aging brain and
mainly affects the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The Hippo signaling pathway and autophagy
proteins have been found to be perturbed in the brain affected by dementia processes.
Objective: This systematic review aims to elaborate on the involvement of the Hippo signaling
pathway and autophagy in modulating the progression and severity of dementia in aging.
Methods: Searches were conducted on MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science
databases.
Results: The Hippo signaling pathway is dependent upon the transcriptional co-activator
YAP/TAZ, which forms complexes with TEAD in the nucleus in order to maintain cell homeostasis.
When the expression YAP/TAZ is reduced, transcriptional repression-induced atypical cell
death, ballooning cell death, and necrosis will consequently occur in the neurons. Moreover, the
autophagic proteins, such as LC3, ATG proteins, and Beclin, are reduced, resulting in the disruption
of autophagosome formation and accumulation and the spread of misfolded proteins in the brain
suffering from dementia.
Conclusion: The impairment of the Hippo signaling pathway and autophagy in the dementia process
in aging should be considered since it might predict the severity, treatment, and prevention of
dementia.
