YAP/TAZ Signaling Enhances Angiogenesis of Retinal Microvascular Endothelial Cells in a High-Glucose Environment

Purpose Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of irreversible blindness in the working-age population. Neovascularization is an important hallmark of advanced DR. There is evidence that Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional co-activator with a PDZ binding domain (TAZ) plays an important role in angiogenesis and that its activity is regulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of YAP/TAZ-VEGF crosstalk on the angiogenic capacity of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (hRECs) in a high-glucose environment.