Sonic hedgehog signaling is decoded by calcium spike activity in the developing spinal cord.

ABSTRACT: Evolutionarily conserved hedgehog proteins orchestrate the patterning of embryonic tissues, and dysfunctions in their signaling can lead to tumorigenesis. In vertebrates, Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is essential for nervous system development, but the mechanisms underlying its action remain unclear. Early electrical activity is another developmental cue important for proliferation, migration, and differentiation of neurons. Here we demonstrate the interplay between Shh signaling and Ca(2+) dynamics in the developing spinal cord. Ca(2+) imaging of embryonic spinal cells shows that Shh acutely increases Ca(2+) spike activity through activation of the Shh coreceptor Smoothened (Smo) in neurons. Smo recruits a heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein-dependent pathway and engages both intracellular Ca(2+)

SUBMITTER: Belgacem YH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3060219 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature