Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Pancreatology. 2010;10(2-3):151-7. doi: 10.1159/000225923. Epub 2010 May 7.
While several aberrant signaling pathways have been attributed to the formation and progression of pancreatic cancer, there is mounting evidence for the increased role of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway in multiple aspects of pancreatic tumor development. The Hh pathway is a signaling cascade that plays an important role in cell patterning of multiple tissues and organs, including the development of the gastrointestinal system. While normal pancreatic tissue exhibits little Hh pathway activity, patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma show high levels of Hh pathway signaling in both the tumor epithelia and the surrounding mesenchyme. Several recent studies have focused on this paracrine activation of Hh signaling in the tumor microenvironment and have provided evidence for how activation of this pathway may play roles in mediating cellular proliferation, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. Together, these findings present new insights into how modulation of this pathway may allow us to target multiple aspects of pancreatic tumor biology.
虽然有几种异常信号通路被归因于胰腺癌的形成和进展，但越来越多的证据表明 Hedgehog（Hh）通路在胰腺肿瘤发展的多个方面发挥着重要作用。Hh 通路是一个信号级联反应，在包括胃肠道系统发育在内的多种组织和器官的细胞模式形成中起着重要作用。虽然正常胰腺组织中 Hh 通路活性很低，但患有胰腺腺癌的患者在肿瘤上皮和周围间质中均表现出高水平的 Hh 通路信号。最近的几项研究集中在肿瘤微环境中 Hh 信号的这种旁分泌激活上，并提供了证据表明该途径的激活如何在介导细胞增殖、转移和对治疗的耐药性中发挥作用。这些发现共同为我们如何调节该途径以靶向胰腺肿瘤生物学的多个方面提供了新的见解。
