Abstract
The Hedgehog pathway is an important signalling pathway for the development of vertebrates and invertebrates. It is involved in embryogenesis and morphogenesis and plays a major role in the renewal and differentiation of stem cells. Ligands and receptors are normally not expressed beyond embryonic life, except in stem cells. Loss of function of the actors of this pathway determines hereditary malformations, and activating mutations or gene overexpression is found in various malignancies.
Protein signals are issued in the vicinity of target cells equipped with adequate receptors. The ligands, first identified in Drosophila and called hedgehog (HHG) (by reference to the Drosophila larvae when affected by invalidating mutations of this gene), have been afterwards found in mammals. The membrane receptor of these ligands is called patched (PTCH). Receptor activation by the ligand induces the removal of a constitutive inhibition exerted by this receptor on a membrane protein called smoothened (SMO). This is followed by a cascade of events leading to the activation of transcription factors called GLI (for glial cells) and consequently the transcription of target genes required for proliferation.
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Robert, J. (2015). Hedgehog Pathway. In: Textbook of Cell Signalling in Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14340-8_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14340-8_9
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