
Overview
Background
My group studies the role of cadherin cell adhesion molecules in morphogenesis and tumor development. E-cadherin is a key mediator of cell-cell recognition. It participates in tissue patterning and its dysfunction contributes to tumor progression and invasion.
Associate Professor Yap is the group leader for Cadherin cell adhesion molecules, Epithelial morphogenesis & Cell locomotion research at the IMB.
Availability
- Professor Alpha Yap is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Medical Science, The University of Queensland
- Bachelor (Honours) of Medicine Surgery, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Research interests
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Cadherin cell adhesion molecules, Epithelial morphogenesis & Cell locomotion
We seek to understand the cellular basis of cadherin recognition, and how this controls cell movement and organisation. We are studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which cadherin cell adhesion molecules mediate cell-cell recognition. Our current work builds on two recent discoveries made by my lab. Firstly, we found that E-cadherin, the principal cadherin molecule found in epithelial tissues, functions as an adhesion-activated cell signaling receptor. In particular, upon adhesion E-cadherin activates signaling via the small GTPase, Rac, and the lipid kinase PI3-kinase. Finally, an important potential target of this signaling receptor is the Arp2/3 protein complex, a protein machine that nucleates assembly of actin filaments. We were the first to discover that E-cadherin interacts with the Arp2/3 complex to mark sites for actin assembly within cells. We are now exploring the general hypothesis that cadherin-activated signaling controls the subcellular localization and activity of Arp2/3 to modulate cell shape changes and motility in response to productive cell-cell recognition.
Works
Search Professor Alpha Yap’s works on UQ eSpace
2020
Journal Article
Forces, growth and form: an editorial introduction
Yap, Alpha S. (2020). Forces, growth and form: an editorial introduction. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 31 (16), 1651-1653. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E20-06-0414
2020
Journal Article
Snail induces epithelial cell extrusion by regulating RhoA contractile signalling and cell–matrix adhesion
Wee, Kenneth, Hediyeh-Zadeh, Soroor, Duszyc, Kinga, Verma, Suzie, Nanavati, Bageshri N., Khare, Satyajeet, Varma, Amrita, Daly, Roger J., Yap, Alpha S., Davis, Melissa J. and Budnar, Srikanth (2020). Snail induces epithelial cell extrusion by regulating RhoA contractile signalling and cell–matrix adhesion. Journal of Cell Science, 133 (13) jcs235622, jcs235622. doi: 10.1242/jcs.235622
2020
Journal Article
Symmetry breaking and epithelial cell extrusion
Nanavati, Bageshri Naimish, Yap, Alpha S. and Teo, Jessica L. (2020). Symmetry breaking and epithelial cell extrusion. Cells, 9 (6) 1403, 1416. doi: 10.3390/cells9061416
2020
Journal Article
Endocytosis, cadherins and tissue dynamics
Katsuno‐Kambe, Hiroko and Yap, Alpha S. (2020). Endocytosis, cadherins and tissue dynamics. Traffic, 21 (3) tra.12721, 268-273. doi: 10.1111/tra.12721
2020
Journal Article
Caveolae control contractile tension for epithelia to eliminate tumor cells
Teo, Jessica L., Gomez, Guillermo A., Weeratunga, Saroja, Davies, Elizabeth M., Noordstra, Ivar, Budnar, Srikanth, Katsuno-Kambe, Hiroko, McGrath, Meagan J., Verma, Suzie, Tomatis, Vanesa, Acharya, Bipul R., Balasubramaniam, Lakshmi, Templin, Rachel M., McMahon, Kerrie-Ann, Lee, Yoke Seng, Ju, Robert J., Stebhens, Samantha J., Ladoux, Benoit, Mitchell, Christina A., Collins, Brett M., Parton, Robert G. and Yap, Alpha S. (2020). Caveolae control contractile tension for epithelia to eliminate tumor cells. Developmental Cell, 54 (1), 75-91.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.05.002
2019
Journal Article
Five piconewtons: the difference between osteogenic and adipogenic fate choice in human mesenchymal stem cells
Han, Pingping, Frith, Jessica E., Gomez, Guillermo A., Yap, Alpha S., O'Neill, Geraldine M. and Cooper-White, Justin J. (2019). Five piconewtons: the difference between osteogenic and adipogenic fate choice in human mesenchymal stem cells. ACS Nano, 13 (10) acsnano.9b03914, 11129-11143. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.9b03914
2019
Journal Article
Identification of intracellular cavin target proteins reveals cavin-PP1alpha interactions regulate apoptosis
McMahon, Kerrie-Ann, Wu, Yeping, Gambin, Yann, Sierecki, Emma, Tillu, Vikas A., Hall, Thomas, Martel, Nick, Okano, Satomi, Moradi, Shayli Varasteh, Ruelcke, Jayde E., Ferguson, Charles, Yap, Alpha S., Alexandrov, Kirill, Hill, Michelle M. and Parton, Robert G. (2019). Identification of intracellular cavin target proteins reveals cavin-PP1alpha interactions regulate apoptosis. Nature Communications, 10 (1) 3279, 3279. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11111-1
2019
Journal Article
The membrane environment of cadherin adhesion receptors: a working hypothesis
Teo, Jessica L., Parton, Robert G. and Yap, Alpha S. (2019). The membrane environment of cadherin adhesion receptors: a working hypothesis. Biochemical Society Transactions, 47 (4), BST20180012-995. doi: 10.1042/bst20180012
2019
Journal Article
Anillin Promotes Cell Contractility by Cyclic Resetting of RhoA Residence Kinetics
Budnar, Srikanth, Husain, Kabir B., Gomez, Guillermo A., Naghibosadat, Maedeh, Varma, Amrita, Verma, Suzie, Hamilton, Nicholas A., Morris, Richard G. and Yap, Alpha S. (2019). Anillin Promotes Cell Contractility by Cyclic Resetting of RhoA Residence Kinetics. Developmental Cell, 49 (6), 894-906.e1-e12. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.04.031
2019
Journal Article
Erratum to: Wetting by living tissues (Nature Physics, (2018), 10.1038/s41567-018-0316-4)
Morris, Richard G. and Yap, Alpha S. (2019). Erratum to: Wetting by living tissues (Nature Physics, (2018), 10.1038/s41567-018-0316-4). Nature Physics, 15 (1), 103-103. doi: 10.1038/s41567-018-0337-z
2018
Journal Article
A mechanosensitive RhoA pathway that protects epithelia against acute tensile stress
Acharya, Bipul R., Nestor-Bergmann, Alexander, Liang, Xuan, Gupta, Shafali, Duszyc, Kinga, Gauquelin, Estelle, Gomez, Guillermo A., Budnar, Srikanth, Marcq, Philippe, Jensen, Oliver E., Bryant, Zev and Yap, Alpha S. (2018). A mechanosensitive RhoA pathway that protects epithelia against acute tensile stress. Developmental Cell, 47 (4), 439-452. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.09.016
2018
Journal Article
Mechanosensing and mechanotransduction at cell-cell junctions
Yap, Alpha S., Duszyc, Kinga and Viasnoff, Virgile (2018). Mechanosensing and mechanotransduction at cell-cell junctions. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 10 (8) a028761, a028761. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a028761
2018
Journal Article
Probing compression versus stretch activated recruitment of cortical actin and apical junction proteins using mechanical stimulations of suspended doublets
Gao, Xumei, Acharya, Bipul R., Engl, Wilfried Claude Otto, De Mets, Richard, Thiery, Jean Paul, Yap, Alpha S. and Viasnoff, Virgile (2018). Probing compression versus stretch activated recruitment of cortical actin and apical junction proteins using mechanical stimulations of suspended doublets. APL Bioengineering, 2 (2) 026111, 026111. doi: 10.1063/1.5025216
2018
Journal Article
Tensile forces and mechanotransduction at cell-cell junctions
Charras, Guillaume and Yap, Alpha S (2018). Tensile forces and mechanotransduction at cell-cell junctions. Current Biology, 28 (8), R445-R457. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.003
2018
Journal Article
Caspase-1 self-cleavage is an intrinsic mechanism to terminate inflammasome activity
Boucher, Dave, Monteleone, Mercedes, Coll, Rebecca C., Chen, Kaiwen W., Ross, Connie M., Teo, Jessica L., Gomez, Guillermo A., Holley, Caroline L., Bierschenk, Damien, Stacey, Katryn J., Yap, Alpha S., Bezbradica, Jelena S. and Schroder, Kate (2018). Caspase-1 self-cleavage is an intrinsic mechanism to terminate inflammasome activity. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 215 (3), 827-840. doi: 10.1084/jem.20172222
2018
Journal Article
Regulated recruitment of SRGAP1 modulates RhoA signaling for contractility during epithelial junction maturation
Liang, Xuan, Kiru, Sajini, Gomez, Guillermo A. and Yap, Alpha S. (2018). Regulated recruitment of SRGAP1 modulates RhoA signaling for contractility during epithelial junction maturation. Cytoskeleton, 75 (2), 61-69. doi: 10.1002/cm.21420
2018
Journal Article
Role of contact inhibition of locomotion and junctional mechanics in epithelial collective responses to injury
Coburn, Luke, Lopez, Hender, Schouwenaar, Irin-Maya, Yap, Alpha S., Lobaskin, Vladimir and Gomez, Guillermo A. (2018). Role of contact inhibition of locomotion and junctional mechanics in epithelial collective responses to injury. Physical Biology, 15 (2) 024001, 024001. doi: 10.1088/1478-3975/aa976b
2018
Journal Article
Notching a new pathway in vascular flow sensing
Lagendijk, Anne K., Yap, Alpha S. and Hogan, Benjamin M. (2018). Notching a new pathway in vascular flow sensing. Trends in Cell Biology, 28 (3), 173-175. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2017.12.003
2018
Journal Article
Wetting by living tissues
Morris, Richard G. and Yap, Alpha S. (2018). Wetting by living tissues. Nature Physics, 15 (1), 6-7. doi: 10.1038/s41567-018-0316-4
2017
Journal Article
Author Correction: tyrosine dephosphorylated cortactin downregulates contractility at the epithelial zonula adherens through SRGAP1
Liang, Xuan, Budnar, Srikanth, Gupta, Shafali, Verma, Suzie, Han, Siew-Ping, Hill, Michelle M., Daly, Roger J, Parton, Robert G., Hamilton, Nicholas A., Gomez, Guillermo A. and Yap, Alpha S. (2017). Author Correction: tyrosine dephosphorylated cortactin downregulates contractility at the epithelial zonula adherens through SRGAP1. Nature Communications, 8 (2021) 2021, 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02131-w
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Alpha Yap is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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How tissue hypertension in epithelia promotes cancer
Epithelial tissues are the principal barriers in our body and the source of common diseases, notably cancer and inflammation. The surprising thing is that despite the fact that they are subject to constant bombardment by toxins, infection and transformation, epithelia stay healthy most of the time – and keep us healthy. This is because epithelia possess mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: to detect potential insults and respond appropriately. We believe that a major early-warning system involves changes in mechanical tension upon injury or transformation: these are detected by the neighbouring epithelium, which responds by eliminating the affected cells. These changes in mechanical force are transmitted through cell-cell junctions and detected at those junctions by mechanotransduction. Conversely, events that compromise junctional mechanotransduction can render epithelia vulnerable to disease.
This project builds on our recent discovery that mechanical tension in an epithelium prevents it from eliminating newly-developed cancers. We aim to elucidate how this tissue hypertension prevents cancer elimination and how it may promote growth of those retained cancer cells.To do this, we combine cell biology with organoid and animal models, collaborating with developmental biologists, cancer biologists, mathematicians, engineers and physicists.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Epithelial surveillance against cell aberration.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ellen Potoczky
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Doctor Philosophy
How inflammation predisposes to tumor retention by altering epithelial mechanics.
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Epithelial Mechanics of Apoptotic Cell Extrusion: A study of different aspects of cell extrusion and the epithelial response
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Modern Computational methods in cell and molecular biology
Principal Advisor
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Master Philosophy
Investigation of epithelial homeostasis on cancer risk
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Julia Eckert
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Master Philosophy
Investigation of epithelial homeostasis on cancer risk
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Julia Eckert
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the Spatiotemporal Organisation of the Actomyosin Cortex
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Modern Computational methods in cell and molecular biology
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Mechanical and biological determinants of epithelial homeostasis.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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Doctor Philosophy
Cytoskeleton crosstalk and epithelial homeostasis.
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of a molecular pathway controlling cell-cell adhesion in veins but not arteries
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Anne Lagendijk
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Doctor Philosophy
Quantitative live imaging of junctional neural tube formation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Yanina Alvarez, Dr Mel White
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Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of a molecular pathway controlling cell-cell adhesion in veins but not arteries
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Anne Lagendijk
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Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of a molecular pathway controlling cell-cell adhesion in veins but not arteries
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Anne Lagendijk
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Doctor Philosophy
Revealing how the junctional neural tube forms
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Yanina Alvarez, Dr Mel White
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Caveolae Respond to Acute Mechanical Stress by Activating a Novel Signalling Pathway for Reinforcement of Actomyosin
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Death with integrity: Role of the desmosome-IF network in apoptotic extrusion and epithelial integrity
Principal Advisor
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2020
Master Philosophy
Oncogenic Cell Extrusion:Ras transformation and cell extrusion during Epithelial Homeostasis
Principal Advisor
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Regulation of Epithelial Cell Extrusion by Snail: A Pivotal Role for Contractility
Principal Advisor
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Rho Signalling at Cell-Cell Junctions during Epithelial Collective Migration
Principal Advisor
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Elimination of apoptotic epithelial cells: Regulation of apoptotic extrusion and immune responses to epithelial apoptosis
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Anne Lagendijk
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Caveolae/Caveolin-1: A regulator of monolayer tension and oncogenic cell extrusion
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Cortactin Tyrosine Phosphorylation at E-cadherin Junctions: A Switch for Epithelium Formation through Regulation of RhoA
Principal Advisor
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Analysing the Mechanism and Regulation of Vinculin in Cadherin Adhesions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Brett Collins
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Biomechanics of Epithelial Interactions: From Multicellular Cohesion to Oncogenic Transformation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Characterizing the role of Myosin VI at E-cadherin cell-cell adhesions
Principal Advisor
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
PI3K signalling in the maintenance of epithelial cell structure: Analysis of E-cadherin-based adhesion and cell height
Principal Advisor
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2008
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Myosin VI in E-cadherin Adhesive Contact Biogenesis
Principal Advisor
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2008
Doctor Philosophy
Cadherin-Microtubule Cooperativity
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
CORTACTIN REGULATES ACTIN CYTOSKELETAL DYNAMICS AT E-CADHERIN ADHESIVE CONTACTS
Principal Advisor
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
CO-OPERATION BETWEEN E-CADHERIN, PHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOL-3-KINASE, RAC AND THE WASP FAMILY PROTEIN, WAVE, IS NECESSARY FOR PRODUCTIVE CADHERIN-DEPENDENT CONTACT FORMATION.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
THE ROLE OF ENA/VASP PROTEINS IN CADHERIN-BASED ADHESION
Principal Advisor
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
THE ROLE OF P120-CTN IN REGULATING E-CADHERIN-MEDIATED ADHESION
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jennifer Stow
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
MEMBRANE MOVEMENTS OF E-CADHERIN
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jennifer Stow
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
A study of mathematical models for collective cell migration and axonal transport
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Zoltan Neufeld, Dr Dietmar Oelz
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
The Biology of Choanocytes and Choanocyte Chambers and their Role in the Sponge Stem Cell System
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bernard Degnan
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Molecular and Functional Characterization of a Clathrin-Independent Endocytic pathway, the CLIC/GEEC pathway
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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2012
Master Philosophy
Characterisation of Neogenin signalling pathways in polarised epithelial cells
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Helen Cooper
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
Global analysis of transcriptional control driving zebrafish gastrulation
Associate Advisor
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
STRUCTURAL DETERMINANTS OF THE EXPRESSION, ASSEMBLY AND FUNCTION OF MONOAMINE NEUROTRANSMITTER TRANSPORTERS
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lesley Lluka
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Alpha Yap directly for media enquiries about:
- bowel cancer
- breast cancer
- Cadherin adhesion in cell interaction
- cancer
- Cell biology
- inflammation
- Metastases
- molecular medicine
- Tumour development
- Tumours
- wound healing
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