Sonic Hedgehog Proteine

The C-terminal part of the sonic hedgehog protein precursor displays an autoproteolysis and a cholesterol transferase activity (By similarity). Both activities result in the cleavage of the full-length protein into two parts (ShhN and ShhC) followed by the covalent attachment of a cholesterol moiety to the C-terminal of the newly generated ShhN (By similarity). Both activities occur in the reticulum endoplasmic (By similarity). Once cleaved, ShhC is degraded in the endoplasmic reticulum (By similarity).

This gene encodes a protein that is instrumental in patterning the early embryo. It has been implicated as the key inductive signal in patterning of the ventral neural tube, the anterior-posterior limb axis, and the ventral somites. Of three human proteins showing sequence and functional similarity to the sonic hedgehog protein of Drosophila, this protein is the most similar. The protein is made as a precursor that is autocatalytically cleaved; the N-terminal portion is soluble and contains the signalling activity while the C-terminal portion is involved in precursor processing. More importantly, the C-terminal product covalently attaches a cholesterol moiety to the N-terminal product, restricting the N-terminal product to the cell surface and preventing it from freely diffusing throughout the developing embryo. Defects in this protein or in its signalling pathway are a cause of holoprosencephaly (HPE), a disorder in which the developing forebrain fails to correctly separate into right and left hemispheres. HPE is manifested by facial deformities. It is also thought that mutations in this gene or in its signalling pathway may be responsible for VACTERL syndrome, which is characterized by vertebral defects, anal atresia, tracheoesophageal fistula with esophageal atresia, radial and renal dysplasia, cardiac anomalies, and limb abnormalities. Additionally, mutations in a long range enhancer located approximately 1 megabase upstream of this gene disrupt limb patterning and can result in preaxial polydactyly.

Microphthalmia, isolated, with coloboma, 5: A disorder of eye formation, ranging from small size of a single eye to complete bilateral absence of ocular tissues. Ocular abnormalities like opacities of the cornea and lens, scaring of the retina and choroid, and other abnormalities may also be present. Ocular colobomas are a set of malformations resulting from abnormal morphogenesis of the optic cup and stalk, and the fusion of the fetal fissure (optic fissure).

Holoprosencephaly 3: A structural anomaly of the brain, in which the developing forebrain fails to correctly separate into right and left hemispheres. Holoprosencephaly is genetically heterogeneous and associated with several distinct facies and phenotypic variability. The majority of holoprosencephaly type 3 cases are apparently sporadic, although clear examples of autosomal dominant inheritance have been described.

Solitary median maxillary central incisor: Rare dental anomaly characterized by the congenital absence of one maxillary central incisor.

Triphalangeal thumb-polysyndactyly syndrome: Autosomal dominant syndrome. It is characterized by a wide spectrum of pre- and post-axial abnormalities due to altered SHH expression pattern during limb development.

Preaxial polydactyly 2: Polydactyly consists of duplication of the distal phalanx. The thumb in PPD2 is usually opposable and possesses a normal metacarpal.

Hypoplasia or aplasia of tibia with polydactyly: An autosomal dominant disease characterized by hypoplastic or absent tibia, and polydactyly.

Laurin-Sandrow syndrome: A rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by polysyndactyly of hands and/or feet, mirror image duplication of the feet, nasal defects, and loss of identity between fibula and tibia. Some patients do not have nasal abnormalities (segmental Laurin-Sandrow syndrome).

Belongs to the hedgehog family.

The C-terminal domain displays an autoproteolysis activity and a cholesterol transferase activity (By similarity). Both activities result in the cleavage of the full-length protein and covalent attachment of a cholesterol moiety to the C-terminal of the newly generated N-terminal fragment (ShhN) (By similarity). Cholesterylation is required for the sonic hedgehog protein N-product targeting to lipid rafts and multimerization (PubMed:24522195, PubMed:26875496). ShhN is the active species in both local and long-range signaling, whereas the C-product (ShhC) is degraded in the reticulum endoplasmic (By similarity).

Cell membrane.

The dual-lipidated sonic hedgehog protein N-product (ShhNp) is firmly tethered to the cell membrane where it forms multimers (PubMed:24522195). Further solubilization and release from the cell surface seem to be achieved through different mechanisms, including the interaction with DISP1 and SCUBE2, movement by lipoprotein particles, transport by cellular extensions called cytonemes or by the proteolytic removal of both terminal lipidated peptides (PubMed:26875496, PubMed:24522195).