Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cellular Biochemistry
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1454058

Role of Hedgehog Signaling in the Pathogenesis and Therapy of Heterotopic Ossification

Provisionally accepted
Yiran Pei Yiran Pei 1Fangzhou Liu Fangzhou Liu 1Yike Zhao Yike Zhao 1Hui Lin Hui Lin 1Xiaoyan Huang Xiaoyan Huang 2*
  • 1 Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
  • 2 The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a pathological process that generates ectopic bone in soft tissues. Hedgehog signaling (Hh signaling) is a signaling pathway that plays an important role in embryonic development and involves three ligands: sonic hedgehog (Shh), Indian hedgehog (Ihh) and desert hedgehog (Dhh). Hh signaling also has an important role in skeletal development. This paper discusses the effects of Hh signaling on the process of HO formation and describes several signaling molecules that are involved in Hh-mediated processes: parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein (PTHrP) and Fkbp10 mediate the expression of Hh during chondrogenesic differentiation. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), GNAs and Yes-Associated Protein (YAP) interact with Hh signaling to play a role in osteogenic differentiation. Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 (Runx2), Mohawk gene (Mkx) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) mediate Hh signaling during both chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation. This paper also discusses possible therapeutic options for HO, lists several Hh inhibitors and explores whether they could serve as emerging targets for the treatment of HO.

    Keywords: Hedgehog signaling, Chondrocytes, Osteoblasts, heterotopic ossification, Therapeutics HO: heterotopic ossification, tHO: traumatic heterotopic ossification, FOP: fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, POH: progressive osseous heteroplasia

    Received: 24 Jun 2024; Accepted: 05 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Pei, Liu, Zhao, Lin and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiaoyan Huang, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.