Analysis of Sonic Hedgehog signalling pathway gene expression in Basal Cell Carcinoma and in GLII induced systems

The study analyzed the sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling pathway's role in Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) formation, focusing on GLI transcription factors. It was found that genes such as Gl.Il, Gi12, Gi13, PTCH, SMO, and KlF4 were differentially expressed in BCC compared to normal skin. The research demonstrated that GLI1 and FOXEI are direct targets of GLI2, with implications for hair follicle involvement in BCC. Additionally, epidermal growth factor (EGF) signalling was shown to reduce GLI1 activity, affecting gene expression related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which may explain BCC's low metastasis rate. The study highlighted the interaction between EGF and GLI signalling, suggesting potential therapeutic targets for BCC.