Abstract
The Hedgehog (Hh) proteins comprise a group of secreted proteins that regulate cell growth, differentiation and survival. Inappropriate activation of the Hh signaling pathway has been implicated in the development of a variety of cancers. Hedgehog pathway inhibitors are a relatively new class of therapeutic agents that act by targeting the proteins involved in the regulation of Hh pathway (PTCH, SMO and Gli). Together, they serve as exciting new prospects, with a bright future, both alone or as an adjuvant to the more traditional anti-cancer drugs.
Highlights
Letter The Hedgehog (Hh) proteins comprise a group of secreted proteins that regulate cell growth, differentiation and survival [1]
Inappropriate activation of the Hh signaling pathway has been implicated in the development of several types of cancers including prostate, lung, pancreas, breast, brain and skin [4,5,6,7,8,9]
Loss-offunction mutations of PTCH, gain-of-function mutations of SMO and misexpression of the Gli2 and Gli3 have been associated with tumor formation and maintenance in animal models of medulloblastoma and basal cell carcinoma of the skin [11,12,13,14]
Summary
The Hedgehog (Hh) proteins comprise a group of secreted proteins that regulate cell growth, differentiation and survival. They are involved in organogenesis, and have been shown to promote adult stem cell proliferation [2,3]. Inappropriate activation of the Hh signaling pathway has been implicated in the development of several types of cancers including prostate, lung, pancreas, breast, brain and skin [4,5,6,7,8,9]. Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is the best studied ligand of Hh pathway in vertebrates.
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