Zinc inhibits Hedgehog autoprocessing: linking zinc deficiency with Hedgehog activation.

ABSTRACT: Zinc is an essential trace element with wide-ranging biological functions, whereas the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays crucial roles in both development and disease. Here we show that there is a mechanistic link between zinc and Hh signaling. The upstream activator of Hh signaling, the Hh ligand, originates from Hh autoprocessing, which converts the Hh precursor protein to the Hh ligand. In an in vitro Hh autoprocessing assay we show that zinc inhibits Hh autoprocessing with a Ki of 2 μm. We then demonstrate that zinc inhibits Hh autoprocessing in a cellular environment with experiments in primary rat astrocyte culture. Solution NMR reveals that zinc binds the active site residues of the Hh autoprocessing domain to inhibit autoprocessing, and isothermal titration calorimetry provided

SUBMITTER: Xie J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4416862 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature