Protein dynamics underlying cilium-dependent Hedgehog signaling

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ABSTRACT The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is a major intercellular signaling pathway important for embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. Errors in Hh signaling are linked to several newborn birth defects such as skeletal malformations and craniofacial defects, and associated with multiple tumors including basal cell carcinoma and medulloblastoma. An important but poorly understood aspect of vertebrate Hh signaling is the strict requirement of a microtubule-based organelle known as the primary cilium. While we now have a wealth of data on the “parts-list” of proteins involved in the Hh signaling, the molecular mechanisms underlying cilia-mediated signal transduction remains poorly understood. Our overall goal is to fill this major knowledge gap and provide a biochemical framework for the Hh signaling pathway by reconstituting key reaction of this pathway from its components. For this research, we will build on our experience in integrating single-molecule imaging methods with biochemical assays and cell biological readouts to connect the biochemical properties of the protein components to their cellular function. In this proposal, we focus a key step of the Hh signal transduction pathway which is the establishment of signaling complexes at the base and the tip of the cilia, as is needed for the proper activation or repression of the transcription factor Gli, the major effector of the Hh pathway. Here, we will: (1) define these protein-protein interactions through a series of reconstitution studies and determine how they restrict the Gli binding to the nuclear import machinery and (2) analyze the dynamics of key pathway proteins in the cilium using high-resolution real-time imaging. Together, these studies will define how Gli is regulated through dynamic transit between protein complexes at defined cytoplasmic locations. We expect that our findings will not only advance our understanding of the basic biology of this important signal transduction pathway but also shed light on how mutations in pathway components contribute to developmental disorders and human cancers.