Ricerc@Sapienza

Major signaling pathways, such as Notch, Hedgehog (Hh), Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo, are targeted by a plethora of physiological and pathological stimuli, ultimately resulting in the modulation of genes that act coordinately to establish specific biological processes. Many biological programs are strictly controlled by the assembly of multiprotein complexes into the nucleus, where a regulated recruitment of specific transcription factors and coactivators on gene promoter region leads to different transcriptional outcomes.

Bicuspid valve disease is associated with the development of thoracic aortic aneurysm. The molecular mechanisms underlying
this association still need to be clarified. Here, we evaluated the circulating levels of T and B lymphocyte subsets associated with
the development of vascular diseases in patients with bicuspid aortic valve or tricuspid aortic valve with and without thoracic
aortic aneurysm. We unveiled that the circulating levels of the MAIT, CD4+IL−17A+, and NKT T cell subsets were significantly

Constitutive activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is associated with increased risk of developing several malignancies. The biological and pathogenic importance of Hh signaling emphasizes the need to control its action tightly, both physiologically and therapeutically. Evidence of crosstalk between Hh and other signaling pathways is reported in many tumor types.

Introduction: Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays a pivotal role in tissue development and stemness, and its deregulation is found in many different tumors. Several efforts have been devoted to discovery of Hh inhibitors, including three drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), targeting the upstream receptor smoothened (SMO). However, SMO mutations or SMO-independent Hh pathway activation raise the need for novel Hh inhibitors. Areas covered: This review describes Hh inhibitors with anticancer potential patented in the period 2015–present.