Human pluripotent stem cell culture density modulates YAP signaling.

Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) density is an important factor in self-renewal and differentiation fates; however, the mechanisms through which hPSCs sense cell density and process this information in making cell fate decisions remain to be fully understood. One particular pathway that may prove important in density-dependent signaling in hPSCs is the Hippo pathway, which is regulated by cell-cell contact and mechanosensing through the cytoskeleton and has been linked to the maintenance of stem cell pluripotency. To probe regulation of Hippo pathway activity in hPSCs, we assessed whether Hippo pathway transcriptional activator YAP was differentially modulated by cell density.