The world according to YAP: a continuous cross-talk between Wnt and Hippo pathways

Since many years, Wnt canonical pathway was known to be involved in proliferation and cell fate. More recently, Hippo pathway has been recognized as a major actor in the control of organ size homeostasis. Both pathways are induced in the activation of stem cells, modulated during carcinogenesis and both use a second messenger, a cascade of phosphorylations and the same ubiquitin ligase degradation complex. Enough for their roads to cross! This review highlights the recent advances in the understanding of the complex crosstalks between Wnt/beta-catenin and Hippo/YAP pathways, focusing on two tissues, liver and intestine. In the future, we hope that the identification of the molecular mechanisms underlining these entangled relationships will open towards novel therapeutic strategies for digestive carcinogenesis.