Role of the Hedgehog Signaling Pathway in Regulating the Behavior of Germline Stem Cells

Figure 3

Effect of the Hh signaling pathway on the behavior of OGSCs in mammals. (a) It is not clear whether OGSCs in the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) secrete Hh. (b) It is thought that the EMT could help OGSCs migrate to the ovary cortex from the OSE. (c) Ptc in TCs assists in preventing the Hh ligand from diffusing to other developing follicles and the interstitial stroma. (d) CSCs of ovarian cancer are likely to be the malignant transformation products of OGSCs. There is a BMP4-Hh feedback loop between CSCs and CA-MACs that promotes CSC proliferation and maintains the CSC number. It has not been determined whether there is a similar BMP4-Hh feedback loop between OGSCs and MSCs.