Hedgehog Signaling in Skin Development and Cancer

    July 2006 in “ Experimental Dermatology ”
    Mohammad Athar, Xiuwei Tang, Juliette L. Lee, Levy Kopelovich, Arianna L. Kim
    TLDR The hedgehog signalling pathway is key in skin development and basal cell carcinoma, offering insights for prevention and treatment.
    The document reviewed the role of the hedgehog (Hh) signalling pathway in skin development and cancer, particularly basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which affected 750,000 Americans annually. It highlighted how mutations in genes like PATCHED (PTCH), sonic hedgehog (Shh), and smoothened (Smo) expanded the understanding of BCC's genetic basis. The Shh pathway was crucial for stem cell maintenance and hair follicle and sebaceous gland development in the skin, though it played a minimal role in adult tissues. The review summarized studies on the Shh pathway's involvement in skin development and cancer, described animal models based on this pathway, and discussed chemoprevention strategies for BCCs, providing insights into molecular target-based prevention and treatment of skin cancer.
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