Yes is a central mediator of cell growth in malignant mesothelioma cells.

The constitutive activation of the Src family kinases (SFKs) has been established as a poor prognostic factor in malignant mesothelioma (MM), however, the family member(s) which contribute to the malignancy have not been defined. This study aimed to identify the SFK member(s) contributing to cell growth using RNA interference in various MM cell lines. Silencing of Yes but not of c-Src or Fyn in MM cells leads to cell growth suppression. This suppressive effect caused by Yes silencing mainly depends on G1 cell cycle arrest and partly the induction of apoptosis. Also, the knockout of Yes induces the inactivation of β-catenin signaling and subsequently decreases the levels of cyclin D necessary for G1-S transition in the cell cycle. In addition, Yes knockout has less effect on cell growth suppression in β-catenin-deficient H28 MM cells compared to other MM cells which express the catenin. Overall, we conclude that Yes is a central mediator for MM cell growth that is not shared with other SFKs such as c-Src.