Inhibition of Aβ _25-35-induced cell apoptosis by Low-power-laser-irradiation (LPLI) through promoting Akt-dependent YAP cytoplasmic translocation

Deposition of amyloid-β-peptide (Aβ) in the brain is considered a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our previous studies show that Yes-associated protein (YAP) is involved in the regulation of apoptosis induced by Aβ _25-35 through YAP nuclear translocation and its pro-apoptotic function is mediated by its interaction with p73. In the present study, we first found that Low-power laser irradiation (LPLI) promoted YAP cytoplasmic translocation and inhibited Aβ _25-35-induced YAP nuclear translocation. Moreover, the cytoplasmic translocation was in an Akt-dependent manner. Activated Akt by LPLI phosphorylated YAP on ser127 (S127) and resulted in decreasing the interaction between YAP and p73, and in suppressing the proapoptotic gene bax expression following Aβ _25-35 treatment. Inhibition of Akt expression by siRNA significantly abolished the effect of LPLI. More importantly, LPLI could inhibit Aβ _25-35-induced cell apoptosis through activation of Akt/YAP/p73 signaling pathway. Therefore, our findings first suggest that YAP may be a therapeutic target and these results directly point to a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AD through Akt/YAP/p73 signaling pathway with LPLI.