Sonic Hedgehog Gene (SHH) belongs to the family of genes that initiates and regulates organogenesis in the early stages of life in mammals. SHH is thought to be associated with the growth of digits on limbs and brain development. Recent research shows that SHH is a key regulator in lungs as well, where cellular turnover is very low. Sonic Hedgehog Gene (SHH) was discovered and reported in 1980 in Drosophila melanogaster by Christiane Nusslein-Volhard and Eric Wieschaus. The research received Nobel Prize in 1995.
SHH has been discovered in humans as well. SHH is found to be responsible for critical structural developments such as the formation of limbs and patterning midline structure of the brain. SHH after prenatal and natal development was thought to remain inactive. A new study was published recently which postulates that SHH plays a vital role in maintaining quiescence (state of…
