Targeting the Sonic Hedgehog-Gli1 Pathway as a Potential New Therapeutic Strategy for Myelodysplastic Syndromes

The complex mechanistic array underlying the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is still unclear. Although dysregulations of different signaling pathways involved in MDS have been described, the identification of specific biomarkers and therapy targets remains an important task in order to establish novel therapeutic approaches. Here, we demonstrated that the Shh signaling pathway is active in MDS and correlated it with disease progression. Additionally, the knockdown of Gli1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Gli1 silencing also induced apoptosis and G0/G1 phase arrest. Furthermore, Gli1 silencing enhanced the demethylating effect of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine on the p15 gene promoter and subsequently promoted its expression by inhibiting DNA methyltransferase 1(DNMT1). Our findings show that the Shh signaling pathway plays a role in the pathogenesis and disease progression of MDS, and proceeds by modulating DNA methylation. This pathway may prove to be a potential therapeutic target for enhancing the therapeutic effects of 5-azacytidine on malignant transformation of MDS.