Yap is a key regulator of tracheoesophageal separation during foregut development

Conditional Yap deletion in the dorsal and medial anterior foregut endoderm produces Type A esophageal atresia with or without tracheoesophageal fistula, linked to loss of Sox2+ esophageal progenitors.

• Why it matters: Foregut separation into esophagus and trachea is coordinated by multiple pathways, and its disruption leads to EA/TEF with distinct anatomical types that lack clear regulatory explanations.
• What they did: The study used Sox2-CreER;Yaploxp/loxp and Shh-Cre;Yaploxp/loxp conditional mutants, plus combined Yap and Taz deletion, to assess foregut segmentation and progenitor markers.
• The result: Yap loss specifically yields Type A EA/TEF (not Type C) and removes the middle esophageal segment; combined Yap/Taz deletion further causes isolated EA with severe craniofacial abnormalities.

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