Fig. 3: Paracrine of the hedgehog signaling pathway.
From: Mechanisms and therapeutic potential of the hedgehog signaling pathway in cancer
A Paracrine Signaling: Stroma cells release HH ligands (SHH, IHH, DHH), which bind to the Ptch1 receptor on the cancer cell. This binding inhibits Ptch1, allowing Smo to become active. Active Smo leads to the activation of Gli transcription factors (Gli-A), which then translocate into the nucleus to promote the transcription of target genes. B Reverse Paracrine Signaling: Cancer cells release HH ligands (SHH, IHH, DHH), which bind to the Ptch1 receptor on the stroma cell. This binding inhibits Ptch1, allowing Smo to become active in the stroma cell. Active Smo then leads to the activation of Gli transcription factors (Gli-A), which then translocate into the nucleus to promote the transcription of target genes. Created with BioRender.com.
