LATS1 and diabetic kidney disease: These results suggest that under hyperglycemic stress, Hippo pathway proteins Merlin and Lats1 are suppressed, YAP is activated, and when YAP translocates from the cytoplasm of renal interstitial cells to the nucleus, it stimulates the deposition of α-SMA in renal tissues, and miR-146b-5p accelerates the fibrotic process of DKD through the Merlin/YAP axis.