The Hippo pathway and cancer immunity: friend or foe?

Within the past century, the roles of the immune system in cancer development and progression have become increasingly clear [1]. It is now well-appreciated that cancer cells and immune cells interact within the tumour microenvironment as immune cells impose a selective pressure on cancer cells and, in turn, cancer cells modulate immune cell functions to escape destruction. A greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions has led to the development of novel immunotherapies that have generated tremendous excitement in the field of cancer research. Despite this, questions remain about how key targets of immunotherapies such as the immune checkpoint molecule PD-L1 are regulated in the context of cancer. Furthermore, whether the regulatory mechanisms for these potential biomarkers are conserved between human cancers and animal models of cancer is unclear