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Expression of SHH signaling pathway components in the developing human lung

Histochemistry and Cell Biology volume 134, pages 327–335 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

The Sonic hedgehog (Shh) cascade is crucial for the patterning of the early lung morphogenesis in mice, but its role in the developing human lung remains to be determined. In the present study, the expression patterns of SHH signaling pathway components, including SHH, PTCH1, SMO, GLI1, GLI2 and GLI3 were examined by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, and compared with the equivalent patterns in mice. Our results showed that, as in mice, SHH was expressed in the epithelium of the developing human lung. However, SHH receptors (PTCH1 and SMO) and SHH signaling effectors (GLI1-3) were strongly detected in the human lung epithelium, but weakly in the mesenchyme, slightly different from their expressions in mice. Furthermore, the expression levels of SHH signaling pathway genes in human lung, but not that of GLI1, were subsequently downregulated at the canalicular stage evaluated by real-time PCR, coincident with a decline in the developing murine lung. In conclusion, in spite of slight differences, the considerable similarities of gene expression in human and mice suggest that conserved molecular networks regulate mammalian lung development.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. C. Tabin (Harvard Medical School, USA) for generously providing SHH plasmid and Dr. Yi-Ping Chen (Tulane University, USA) for mouse Shh and Ptch1 plasmids. We also thank our laboratory members for their technical assistance and constructive discussions. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30871422, 31000643), and the Young Scientist Innovation Project of Fujian Province (2007F3024).

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  1. Fujian Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Qishan Campus, Fuzhou, 350108, Fujian, People’s Republic of China

    Mingfeng Zhang, Hong Wang, Hongqi Teng, Jueping Shi & Yanding Zhang

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  1. Mingfeng Zhang
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  2. Hong Wang
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  3. Hongqi Teng
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  4. Jueping Shi
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Correspondence to Yanding Zhang.

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Zhang, M., Wang, H., Teng, H. et al. Expression of SHH signaling pathway components in the developing human lung. Histochem Cell Biol 134, 327–335 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-010-0738-2

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Keywords

  • Sonic hedgehog signaling
  • Gene expression
  • Human embryonic lung
  • Mammalian lung development