4.7 Review

Understanding the Roles of the Hedgehog Signaling Pathway during T-Cell Lymphopoiesis and in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL)

Journal

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032962

Keywords

Hedgehog signaling; thymocyte differentiation; T-ALL; targeted therapy; crosstalk; signaling pathways

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The Hedgehog (HH) signaling network is an important regulator of embryonic development. However, abnormal activation of HH signaling has been found in various malignant disorders, promoting proliferation, survival, and therapeutic resistance of neoplastic cells. In this review, the biological roles and pathophysiology of the HH pathway in normal T-cell lymphopoiesis and T-ALL are summarized, along with potential therapeutic strategies to target the HH pathway in T-ALL.
The Hedgehog (HH) signaling network is one of the main regulators of invertebrate and vertebrate embryonic development. Along with other networks, such as NOTCH and WNT, HH signaling specifies both the early patterning and the polarity events as well as the subsequent organ formation via the temporal and spatial regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. However, aberrant activation of HH signaling has been identified in a broad range of malignant disorders, where it positively influences proliferation, survival, and therapeutic resistance of neoplastic cells. Inhibitors targeting the HH pathway have been tested in preclinical cancer models. The HH pathway is also overactive in other blood malignancies, including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). This review is intended to summarize our knowledge of the biological roles and pathophysiology of the HH pathway during normal T-cell lymphopoiesis and in T-ALL. In addition, we will discuss potential therapeutic strategies that might expand the clinical usefulness of drugs targeting the HH pathway in T-ALL.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available