Lipid Regulator Modulates Sonic Hedgehog Pathway, Shaping Heart and Lungs
Researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital discovered that the lipid arachidonic acid modulates the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway. This mechanism helps tune the development of the heart and lungs rather than acting as a simple on-off switch.
Why it matters
Understanding this regulatory mechanism offers new potential for targeted disease treatments, particularly in cancer, without affecting other tissue systems.
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<p>Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have identified a precise way the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) pathway is regulated during embryonic development—one that helps explain how organs form with correct timing and intensity. The work focuses on Smoothened, a key SHH signal relay protein inside cells, and shows that its activity is boosted by a lipid-derived molecule rather than simply turned on or off.</p>
<p>The lipid arachidonic acid was found to enhance Smoothened signaling by binding to a newly discovered regulatory site on the receptor. This interaction changes Smoothened’s behavior in an allosteric manner, effectively increasing the strength of the response once SHH is present. In other words, the pathway’s output is “tuned” rather than switched, adding a layer of control suited to complex tissue development.</p>
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