Activation of Smurf E3 ligase promoted by smoothened regulates hedgehog signaling through targeting patched turnover.

Abstract

Author SummaryHedgehog (Hh) signaling is a pathway renowned for its roles in controlling embryonic development and tumorigenesis. Signaling via this pathway proceeds when Hh ligands bind to the receptor Patched (Ptc), thereby preventing Ptc from inhibiting the signal transducer, Smoothened (Smo), and thus allowing Smo to accumulate on the cell surface where it becomes activated and promotes downstream signal transduction. In the absence of Hh ligands, Ptc inhibits Smo and is a key negative regulator of Hh signaling. In this study, we investigate how protein turnover of Ptc is controlled to ensure tight regulation of Hh signaling. Using Drosophila as a model system, we provide biochemical and genetic evidence to show that the E3 ligase, Smurf, directly controls Ptc protein turnover in developing wing discs. Moreover, we found that Smurf mediates Ptc degradation in a manner that depends on Smo signaling activity: activated Smo forms a complex with Smurf to preferentially promote degradation of the ligand-unbound Ptc receptor. Using mathematic modeling we reveal that the control of Smo activation by the opposing activities of Smurf and Ptc, is important for cells receiving the Hh signal to precisely interpret and relay external signals. We show that this control mechanism is also active in vertebrates with evidence that zebrafish Smurf proteins target Ptc1 protein for degradation to control late somitogenesis during zebrafish embryogenesis.