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Roughing up Smoothened: chemical modulators of Hedgehog signaling

Randall W King

Institute of Chemistry and Cell Biology, Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Biology 2002, 1:8doi:10.1186/1475-4924-1-8

Published:	6 November 2002

Abstract

Small-molecule antagonists of Hedgehog-pathway signaling, such as cyclopamine, have been known for some time. Now, small-molecule agonists of the Hedgehog pathway have also been identified. The finding that both antagonists and agonists target the protein Smoothened supports the emerging hypothesis that Smoothened may be regulated by endogenous small molecules.