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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Jul 16.
Published in final edited form as: Differentiation. 2010 Jun 12;80(0):106–117. doi: 10.1016/j.diff.2010.05.004

Figure 4. Proposed Shh signaling pathway in bladder mesenchymal cells.

Figure 4

Upon binding Shh, Ptc1 releases the inhibition of Smo. The effect of Shh on smooth muscle differentiation and patterning is mediated by Gli2, which, upon translocation into the nucleus, regulates downstream genes including BMP4. BMP4 may inhibit cellular proliferation and is a prime candidate for mediating the effect of Shh on smooth muscle patterning during bladder development. Other signaling molecules, such as TGF-β and SRF, likely have a role in bladder smooth muscle differentiation and may interact with the Shh pathway. The mechanism through which Shh affects cellular proliferation in the bladder is uncertain but MPF has been shown to be a Shh-responsive complex that regulates mitosis in other systems.