Open Access

The emerging roles of YAP/TAZ in melanoma: A scoping review of the currently available evidence

  • Authors:
    • Savitri Restu Wardhani
    • Andrew Laurie Bustaman
    • Ray Sebastian Soetadji
    • Ardo Sanjaya
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: May 28, 2025     https://doi.org/10.3892/wasj.2025.356
  • Article Number: 68
  • Copyright : © Wardhani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License [CC BY 4.0].

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Abstract

Melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer with a high metastatic potential and resistance to therapy. Through its core effectors, yes‑associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ‑binding motif (TAZ), the Hippo signaling pathway has emerged as a key regulator of tumorigenesis in melanoma. However, the roles of these effectors remains incompletely understood. The present scoping review systematically synthesized the currently available knowledge on the function of YAP/TAZ in the progression of melanoma, resistance to therapy and potential therapeutic interventions. The present study conducted a scoping review and reported the results based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‑Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed across the PubMed and Cochrane Central databases, incorporating peer‑reviewed articles published up to June, 2024. The inclusion criteria encompassed studies investigating YAP/TAZ activity in melanoma models, including in vitro, in vivo and patient‑derived datasets. A total of 37 articles were identified, discussing YAP/TAZ in melanoma. The present scoping review highlights that the overexpression of YAP/TAZ promotes melanoma proliferation, metastasis, immune evasion and resistance to targeted therapy. These factors contribute to therapeutic failure and disease recurrence. YAP/TAZ activation occurs independently of the suppression of the Hippo pathway, involving MAPK‑driven phosphorylation, PI3K/AKT stabilization and extracellular matrix remodeling. Additionally, YAP/TAZ affects the tumor microenvironment and facilitates immune evasion. Targeting YAP/TAZ through verteporfin, bromodomain and extraterminal domain/histone deacetylase inhibitors and ibrutinib has demonstrated promise in preclinical studies. However, compensatory pathways and clinical translation remain a key challenge. YAP/TAZ are central mediators of melanoma pathogenesis, metastasis and therapeutic resistance by integrating multiple oncogenic pathways. While therapeutic strategies targeting YAP/TAZ are emerging, clinical translation remains limited. Future research is thus required to focus on developing selective inhibitors, patient stratification, elucidating the role of YAP/TAZ in melanoma, and combining therapies to improve melanoma treatment outcomes.
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Spandidos Publications style
Wardhani SR, Bustaman AL, Soetadji RS and Sanjaya A: The emerging roles of YAP/TAZ in melanoma: A scoping review of the currently available evidence. World Acad Sci J 7: 68, 2025.
APA
Wardhani, S.R., Bustaman, A.L., Soetadji, R.S., & Sanjaya, A. (2025). The emerging roles of YAP/TAZ in melanoma: A scoping review of the currently available evidence. World Academy of Sciences Journal, 7, 68. https://doi.org/10.3892/wasj.2025.356
MLA
Wardhani, S. R., Bustaman, A. L., Soetadji, R. S., Sanjaya, A."The emerging roles of YAP/TAZ in melanoma: A scoping review of the currently available evidence". World Academy of Sciences Journal 7.4 (2025): 68.
Chicago
Wardhani, S. R., Bustaman, A. L., Soetadji, R. S., Sanjaya, A."The emerging roles of YAP/TAZ in melanoma: A scoping review of the currently available evidence". World Academy of Sciences Journal 7, no. 4 (2025): 68. https://doi.org/10.3892/wasj.2025.356