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Cell signalling

A ciliary sensor

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 8, pages 676–677 (2007)Cite this article

In mammalian cells, the morphogen sonic hedgehog (SHH) binds to its transmembrane receptor patched-1 (PTC1), and this binding abolishes PTC1-mediated inhibition of a second transmembrane protein known as smoothened (SMO). Activated SMO transduces a signal to the nucleus through glioma (GLI) transcription factors. The authors found that SMO is usually absent from primary cilia in mouse fibroblasts. However, upon treatment with SHH, SMO became concentrated in cilia. By contrast, PTC1 became localized to cilia in the absence of SHH but was missing from these structures after incubation with SHH. To investigate if the relocalization of PTC1 and SMO were linked, the authors analysed Ptc1−/− fibroblasts, which show constitutively active SHH signalling. SMO was localized to primary cilia even in the absence of SHH. Reintroduction of PTC1 into Ptc1−/− fibroblasts prevented SMO accumulation in cilia and switched off the expression of GLI-responsive genes. Activation of the Hh signalling pathway therefore requires the reciprocal movement of PTC1 and SMO out of and into primary cilia, respectively.

...primary cilia are specialized antennae for detecting signalling molecules...

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Rohatgi, R. et al. Patched1 regulates hedgehog signaling at the primary cilium. Science 317, 372–376 (2007)

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FURTHER READING

  1. Hooper, J. E & Scott, M. P. Communicating with hedgehogs. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 6, 306–317 (2005)

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Authors
  1. James Pickett
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Pickett, J. A ciliary sensor. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 8, 676–677 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2243

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2243

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