In Drosophila, wing hairs are aligned in a distally oriented, parallel array. The frizzled pathway determines proximal-distal cell polarity in the wing; however, in frizzled pathway mutants, wing hairs remain parallel. How wing hairs align has not been determined. We have demonstrated a novel role for the septate junction proteins Gliotactin (Gli) and Coracle (Cora) in this process. Prior to pr...

BACKGROUND In vertebrates the "SONIC HEDGEHOG" signalling pathway has been implicated in cell-fate determination, proliferation and the patterning of many different cell types and organs. As the GLI family members (GLI1, GLI2 and GLI3) are key mediators of hedgehog morphogenetic signals, over the past couple of decades they have been extensively scrutinized by genetic, molecular and biochemical...

Keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOT) may occur sporadically or associated with the nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. It is a benign aggressive tumor of odontogenic epithelial origin with a high rate of recurrence. A primary human keratocystic odontogenic tumor cell population, KCOT-1, has been established from a tumor explant culture. The KCOT-1 cells were characterized by growth rate, ge...

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in vertebrates depends on primary cilia. Upon stimulation, Hh pathway components, including Gli transcription factors, accumulate at primary cilia to transduce the Hh signal, but the mechanisms underlying their ciliary targeting remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the PY-type nuclear localization signal (PY-NLS)/karyopherinβ2 (Kapβ2) nuclear import system regulat...

It has been demonstrated that gastrointestinal extracts contain substances which react immunologically with antibodies prepared to pancreatic glucagon. These extracts have been termed intestinal GLI for glucagon-like immunoreactivity, or enteroglucagon. To determine whether GLI has specific biological effects, studies were designed using the criterion of effect with antiglucagon antibodies. The...

Sustained hedgehog (Hh) signaling mediated by the GLI transcription factors is implicated in many types of cancer. Identification of Hh/GLI target genes modulating the activity of other pathways involved in tumor development promise to open new ways for better understanding of tumor development and maintenance. Here we show that SOCS1 is a direct target of Hh/GLI signaling in human keratinocyte...

BACKGROUND Hedgehog signalling, interpreted in receiving cells by Gli transcription factors, plays a central role in the development of vertebrate and Drosophila embryos. Many aspects of the signalling pathway are conserved between these lineages, however vertebrates have diverged in at least one key aspect: they have evolved multiple Gli genes encoding functionally-distinct proteins, increasin...

Keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOT) may occur sporadically or associated with the Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome (NBCCS). It is a benign aggressive tumor of odontogenic epithelial origin with high rate of recurrence. A primary human keratocystic odontogenic tumor cell population, KCOT-1, has been established from a tumor explants culture. The KCOT-1 cells were characterized by growth r...

Tumorigenesis is frequently accompanied by enhanced rRNA transcription, but the signaling mechanisms responsible for such enhancement remain unclear. Here, we report evidence suggesting a novel link between deregulated Hedgehog signaling and the augmented rRNA transcription in cancer. Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog pathway in keratinocytes is a hallmark of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the m...

The Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS)-II was successfully launched in December 2002 by Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA: former NASDA). The Global Imager (GLI) onboard the ADEOS-II is an optical mechanical scanner with 36 channels and the spatial resolution of 1 km and 250m at nadir. It observes about 1,600km in width with the FOV of +/-45 degrees. The same areas are observ...