Biology and Medicine

Abstract

Role of Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway in neuroblastoma development

Mehdi Hayat Shahi,Subrata Sinha,*Mohammad Afzal, *Javier S Castresana1

Malignant transformation of normal cells is a complex and accumulative process. Understanding this event gives insight into mechanisms of developmental biology and physical interaction of cellular machinery with surrounding ambient factors. However, the trend of embryonic malignancy is not interactive with ambient factors, rather a cause of deregulations of internal developmental process. In this review, we have attempted to explore the possibility of Sonic hedgehog role (Shh) in the development of neuroblastoma tumour. It is the major extra cranial tumour and develops in very early stage of childhood. Sonic hedgehog signaling is very well studied in another major childhood tumour i.e. medulloblastoma that contributes 20-25% of childhood tumours, and one-fourth of medulloblastoma is due to abnormality in the Shh signaling pathway. Therefore, we would consider whether Shh could also contribute to the development of neuroblastoma. Although scientists are coming up with the role of Shh in the neuroblastoma, the Sonic hedgehog signaling is very much one of the promising pathways because of its multi-dimensional role not only in CNS development but also in organogenesis and other major tumour development.