title: Roles for Hedgehog signaling in adult organ homeostasis and repair.
abstract: The hedgehog (HH) pathway is well known for its mitogenic and morphogenic functions during development, and HH signaling continues in discrete populations of cells within many adult mammalian tissues. Growing evidence indicates that HH regulates diverse quiescent stem cell populations, but the exact roles that HH signaling plays in adult organ homeostasis and regeneration remain poorly understood. Here, we review recently identified functions of HH in modulating the behavior of tissue-specific adult stem and progenitor cells during homeostasis, regeneration and disease. We conclude that HH signaling is a key factor in the regulation of adult tissue homeostasis and repair, acting via multiple different routes to regulate distinct cellular outcomes, including maintenance of plasticity, in a context-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA BCMB Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Ralitsa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Petrova
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA BCMB Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY 10065, USA joynera@mskcc.org.
authors.forename: Alexandra L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Joyner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D005855:Germ Layers / Q000378:metabolism*; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D053823:Hedgehog Proteins
keywords: Adult stem cells; Hedgehog signaling; Homeostasis