# Mechanisms of Hedgehog Signal Transduction

> **NIH NIH R35** · ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL · 2020 · $615,685

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The evolutionarily conserved Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway governs tissue morphogenesis during
development and contributes to tissue homeostasis in adults. Alteration of pathway activity drives
developmental disorders including Holoprosencephaly (HPE), Pallister-Hall Syndrome and Basal Cell Nevus
syndrome. Inappropriate activation of signaling post-developmentally is frequently associated with cancer,
being causative in basal cell carcinoma and medulloblastoma, and implicated as a survival factor in a range of
additional tumor types. As such, there is significant interest and therapeutic potential in defining the
mechanisms governing Hh pathway activity. My laboratory's long-term goal is to define the regulatory
processes governing Hh pathway activity during development, and use this knowledge to identify opportunities
for targeting inappropriate Hh signaling in disease. Over the next 5 years, we will continue to work toward this
goal by interrogating and defining the molecular mechanisms controlling pivotal regulatory steps of the Hh
signal transduction cascade. We are focused on elucidating 1) how Hh ligand release and transport are
controlled to establish a morphogen gradient, 2) how Smo activation, signal bias and effector engagement are
controlled during development and corrupted in disease, and 3) how Gli transcriptional activator induction and
destabilization are coordinated to assure an appropriate transcriptional response.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978832
- **Project number:** 5R35GM122546-04
- **Recipient organization:** ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Stacey Kathryn Ogden
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $615,685
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978832

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978832, Mechanisms of Hedgehog Signal Transduction (5R35GM122546-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978832. Licensed CC0.

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