Hedgehog signalling: how to get from Smo to Ci and Gli.
The secreted morphogens of the Hedgehog family have important roles in normal development as well as in associated pathologies, including cancer. The Hedgehog signalling pathway has been studied in Drosophila and is thought to be conserved in vertebrates. Hedgehog elicits a signalling response that activates Smoothened (Smo). There is evidence of differences between Drosophila and vertebrates concerning signalling downstream of Smo, as well as in Smo itself. Here, we discuss this evidence and its importance for investigations of the pathway and related biology, as well as for the development of drugs targeting components of the pathway for treatment of associated pathologies.
Østerlund
Torben
T
Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Akadeemia tee 15, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia. toosathome@yahoo.se
Kogerman
Priit
P
D000818:Animals; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000072086:Smoothened Receptor; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071676:Zinc Finger Protein GLI1
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C400551:GLI1 protein, human; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C491023:SMO protein, human; D000072086:Smoothened Receptor; C097059:Su(fu) protein, Drosophila; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000071676:Zinc Finger Protein GLI1; C100664:smo protein, Drosophila; C077245:hh protein, Drosophila