The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is involved in the development of many tissues during embryogenesis, but has also been described to function in adult self-renewing tissues. In the immune system, Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) regulates intrathymic T cell development and modulates the effector functions of peripheral CD4+ T cells. In this study we investigate whether Shh signaling is involved in peripheral B cell differentiation in mice. Shh is produced by follicular dendritic cells, mainly in germinal centers (GCs), and GC B cells express both components of the Hh receptor, Patched and Smoothened. Blockade of the Hh signaling pathway reduces the survival, and consequently the proliferation and Ab secretion, of GC B cells. Furthermore, Shh rescues GC B cells from apoptosis induced by Fas ligation. Taken together, our data suggest that Shh is one of the survival signals provided by follicular dendritic cells to prevent apoptosis in GC B cells.

T-cell differentiation is driven by a complex network of signals mainly derived from the thymic epithelium. In this study we demonstrate in the human thymus that cortical epithelial cells produce bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and BMP4 and that both thymocytes and thymic epithelium express all the molecular machinery required for a response to these proteins. BMP receptors, BMPRIA and BMPRII, are mainly expressed by cortical thymocytes while BMPRIB is expressed in the majority of the human thymocytes. Some thymic epithelial cells from cortical and medullary areas express BMP receptors, being also cell targets for in vivo BMP2/4 signalling. The treatment with BMP4 of chimeric human-mouse fetal thymic organ cultures seeded with CD34+ human thymic progenitors results in reduced cell recovery and inhibition of the differentiation of human thymocytes from CD4- CD8- to CD4+ CD8+ cell stages. These results support a role for BMP2/4 signalling in human T-cell differentiation.

The Hedgehog (Hh) family of signaling molecules normally functions in the development of numerous tissues by regulating cellular differentiation and proliferation. Recent results have demonstrated that the different components of the Hh signaling pathway are expressed in the human thymus. In this study, we investigate the potential role of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in human intrathymic T cell maturation. Results show that the expression of the two components of the Hh receptor, Patched and Smoothened, is mostly restricted to CD34+ precursor cells that are committing to the T cell lineage. Shh significantly increased the viability of CD34+ T cell precursors modulating bcl-2 and bax protein expression, and also inhibited their proliferation. The treatment of chimeric human-mouse fetal thymus organ cultures with Shh resulted in an arrested thymocyte differentiation and an accumulation of CD34+ progenitor cells. This effect was mainly attributed to the ability of Shh to counteract the IL-7-induced proliferation and differentiation of CD34+ cells. Shh down-regulated in the precursor cell population the expression of IL-7R as well as stromal-derived factor-1 chemokine receptor, CXCR4, and inhibited IL-7-dependent STAT5 phosphorylation. Therefore, Shh may function as a maintenance factor for intrathymic CD34+ precursor cells.

The Hedgehog (Hh) family of signaling molecules functions in the development of numerous tissues during embryogenesis and has also been involved in adult self-renewing tissues. Recent results have demonstrated that the different components of the Hh signaling pathway are expressed in the human thymus. In this study, we investigate whether thymic dendritic cells (DCs) are cell targets for Hh signaling. Both components of the Hh receptor, Patched and Smoothened, as well as other Hh-binding proteins with modulating functions, are expressed by human thymic DCs. The expression of Gli1, Gli2, and Gli3 transcription factors suggests that the Hh signaling pathway is active in thymic DCs, and approximately one-half of thymic DCs produces Sonic Hh (Shh). The culture of thymic DCs with Shh protects them from apoptosis [similarly to CD40 ligand (CD40L)], and these antiapoptotic effects are related to an up-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) protein expression. The addition of the Hh pathway inhibitor, cyclopamine, decreases DC viability and impairs their allostimulatory function in vitro. In addition, the blockade of the Hh signaling pathway by cyclopamine treatment abrogates the up-regulation of HLA-DR, CD86, CD80, and CD83 expression induced by CD40L on thymic DCs. Finally, we also show that after activation with CD40L thymic DCs down-regulate the expression of Hh receptor components as well as Shh production. Taken together, these results suggest that the survival and function of thymic DCs are regulated by an autocrine Hh signaling.