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Hedgehog signalling as a target in cancer stem cells

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  • Molecular Targets in Oncology
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Abstract

Hedgehog (Hh) is one of the most important signalling pathways. Together with the Wnt, TGF-β/BMP and Notch pathways, it is involved in both embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. This is because Hh plays a central role in the proliferative control and differentiation of both embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. In this way, an alteration in the Hh pathway, either by misexpression of components of that pathway or by changes in the expression of other cellular components that interfere with the Hh signalling system, may trigger the development of several types of cancer. This occurs because normal stem cells or their intermediaries toward differentiated mature cells are not part of the normal proliferative/differentiation balance and begin to expand without control, triggering the generation of the so-called cancer stem cells. In this review, we will focus on the molecular aspects and the role of Hh signalling in normal tissues and in tumour development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oncology Research Unit, University Hospital A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain

    Vanessa Medina

  2. Biomedical Research Institute of A Coruña (INIBIC), A Coruña, Spain

    Moisés B. Calvo & Silvia Díaz-Prado

  3. Medicine Department, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain

    Silvia Díaz-Prado

  4. Biomedical Research Institute “Alberto Sols”, CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain

    Jesús Espada

  5. Teresa Herrera Hospital (annex building), C/ As Xubias de Arriba, 84, ES-15006, A Coruña, Spain

    Vanessa Medina

Authors
  1. Vanessa Medina
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  2. Moisés B. Calvo
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  3. Silvia Díaz-Prado
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  4. Jesús Espada
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vanessa Medina.

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Medina, V., Calvo, M.B., Díaz-Prado, S. et al. Hedgehog signalling as a target in cancer stem cells. Clin Transl Oncol 11, 199–207 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-009-0341-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-009-0341-y

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