Embryonic Signaling Pathways and Rhabdomyosarcoma: Contributions to Cancer Development and Opportunities for Therapeutic Targeting

Figure 3

Overview of the Hedgehog pathway. In the inactive state, Patched 1 (PTCH1) inhibits Smoothened (SMO) and Gli is targeted for degradation by the proteasome. In the active state, Hedgehog (HH) is translated, cleaved, and transported by Dispatched to the extracellular space. HH is able to bind to PTCH1, which prevents inhibition of SMO and allows it to accumulate at base of the primary cilium. Gli is then stabilized and translocates to the nucleus to activate transcription of target genes.