Yes-Associated Protein is up-regulated by mechanical overload and is sufficient to induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Mechanically-induced skeletal muscle growth is regulated by mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Yes-Associated Protein (YAP) is a mechanically-sensitive, and growth-related, transcriptional co-activator that can regulate mTORC1. Here we show that, in skeletal muscle, mechanical overload promotes an increase in YAP expression; however, the time course of YAP expression is markedly different from that of mTORC1 activation.