Hedgehog信号通路与脂肪形成

Hedgehog Signaling Pathway and Adipogensis

Hedgehog(Hh)信号通路是从果蝇到人类都非常保守的信号通路,在脊椎动物和非脊椎动物胚胎期多种组织器官的发育中发挥着重要作用。Hh信号通路的异常会导致疾病(先天性缺陷和癌症)的发生。近年的研究发现,Hh信号通路在脂肪生长发育中发挥重要作用,激活Hh信号通路能特异性地抑制白色脂肪组织细胞的分化,而对棕色脂肪组织细胞分化没有作用。该文综述了Hh信号通路在脂肪细胞分化中的作用及其分子机制,并对今后的研究和应用作了展望。

Hedgehog （Hh） signaling pathway is a highly conserved pathway from Drosophila to Human, which plays a crucial role in embryonic development of many tissues both in invertebrates and vertebrates. The dysregulation of the pathway causes several pathologies, such as congenital defects and cancer. Recent studies have found that Hh signaling pathway plays an important role in the growth and development of adipose tissue, activation of Hh signaling inhibits white but not brown adipose cell differentiation. This review presents an overview of the effects and mechanisms of Hh signaling pathway in adipocyte differentiation, and discusses its future research directions and potential applications.