Hedgehog Signaling

Hedgehog signaling is a conserved developmental pathway involved in tissue and organ morphogenesis. The pathway was originally discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, and mammalian homologs were identified later. The 3 mammalian ligands (Sonic hedgehog, Desert hedgehog, and Indian hedgehog) bind to Patched receptor family members. Under basal conditions, Patched receptors repress Smoothened. When Hedgehog ligands bind to Patched, Smoothened is no longer inhibited, and enters the nucleus. Within the nucleus, Smoothened interacts and activates the Gli transcription factors by a poorly understood mechanism, activating target gene transcription. Hedgehog signaling is important during embryonic development. For example, the diffusion patterns of hedgehog ligands released into the extracellular matrix determine the location and orientation of limb development. Hedgehog signaling also remains important after development for adult stem cell proliferation and the maintenance and regeneration of organs. Dysregulation of hedgehog signaling is a cause of developmental abnormalities and some cancers. As the Hedgehog signaling mechanisms are fully elucidated, they may identify novel drug targets for these diseases.

QIAGEN provides a broad range of assay technologies for Hedgehog signaling research that enables analysis of gene expression and regulation, epigenetic modification, genotyping, and signal transduction pathway activation. Solutions optimized for Hedgehog signaling studies include PCR array, miRNA, siRNA, mutation analysis, pathway reporter, chromatin IP, DNA methylation, and protein expression products.