Hedgehog Signaling Antibody Sampler Kit

Background

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays critical roles in the regulation of cell fate, tissue patterning, and growth during embryonic development. It is downregulated during postnatal development, but can be reactivated to promote tissue repair and regeneration. Aberrant Hh signaling activity during prenatal development is associated with numerous birth defects (e.g., holoprosencephaly), while uncontrolled Hh pathway activation postnatally is linked to the development of several cancer types (1,2). There are three canonical Hh ligands: Sonic hedgehog (SHH), Indian hedgehog (IHH), and Desert hedgehog (DHH), all of which have distinct as well as overlapping roles and expression patterns (3-5). Patched1 and 2 (PTCH1 and PTCH2) are partially redundant 12-pass transmembrane proteins that function as receptors for Hh ligands (6-8). Smoothened (SMO) is a 7-pass transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that functions as the key transducer of Hh signaling. In the absence of Hh ligands (off-state), PTCH proteins are localized to cilia, and function to suppress SMO activity (1,2). Suppressor of Fused (SUFU) simultaneously contributes to suppression of the pathway by sequestering the glioma-associated oncogene (GLI) family of transcription factors (9,10). Binding of Hh ligands to PTCH receptors results in derepression of SMO, in part by promoting its translocation to cilia; this leads to downregulation of SUFU, resulting in the stabilization and nuclear translocation of GLI transcription factors that regulate the transcription of genes involved in cell proliferation, migration, and survival (1).