Canonical and Non-canonical Hedgehog Signalling and the Control of Metabolism

Overview

Journal Semin Cell Dev Biol

Specialties Cell Biology
Reproductive Medicine

Date 2014 May 28

PMID 24862854

Citations 70

Authors

Raffaele Teperino

Fritz Aberger

Harald Esterbauer

Natalia Riobo

John Andrew Pospisilik

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Obesity and diabetes represent key healthcare challenges of our day, affecting upwards of one billion people worldwide. These individuals are at higher risk for cancer, stroke, blindness, heart and cardiovascular disease, and to date, have no effective long-term treatment options available. Recent and accumulating evidence has implicated the developmental morphogen Hedgehog and its downstream signalling in metabolic control. Generally thought to be quiescent in adults, Hedgehog is associated with several human cancers, and as such, has already emerged as a therapeutic target in oncology. Here, we attempt to give a comprehensive overview of the key signalling events associated with both canonical and non-canonical Hedgehog signalling, and highlight the increasingly complex regulatory modalities that appear to link Hedgehog and control metabolism. We highlight these key findings and discuss their impact for therapeutic development, cancer and metabolic disease.

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