Sonic Hedgehog
From Proteopedia
Sonic Hedgehog
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Introduction
Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a member of the Hedgehog (Hh) family of secreted extracellular signaling proteins that serve important roles in controlling cell differentiation, proliferation, and gene expression in animal embryos and adult tissues. First discovered in Drosophila, where mutations of the Hedgehog gene produces larvae that are covered in hedgehog-like denticles, Hh proteins are encoded by at least three genes in vertebrates - Sonic, Desert, and Indian hedgehog. With the ability to control such fundamental processes as pattern formation in vertebrate limb buds, the formation of motor neurons in the neural tube, and the development and maintenance of tissues and organs, Shh is the most well-studied member of the Hh signaling pathway. Excessive signaling in adult cells has been implicated in the development of several human cancers.
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Randi Woodbeck, Michal Harel, Joel L. Sussman, David Canner, Riley Hicks, Andrea Gorrell, Alexander Berchansky
