Sonic hedgehog is a novel tubule-derived growth factor for interstitial fibroblasts after kidney injury

D Zhou, Y Li, L Zhou, RJ Tan, L Xiao… - Journal of the …, 2014 - journals.lww.com
Tubular epithelium constitutes the majority of the renal parenchyma and is the primary target
of various kidney injuries. However, how the injured tubules drive interstitial fibroblast
activation and proliferation remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of
sonic hedgehog (Shh), a secreted extracellular signaling protein, in fibroblast proliferation.
Shh was induced in renal tubular epithelia in animal models of CKD induced by
ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), adriamycin, or renal mass ablation, and in renal tubules of …