Talk:Sonic hedgehog protein

Official Names
We all know that the scientists that firts discovered the gene loved electronic games. This gene does not belong to them, and deserves the official names more than this joke of a name. pinnator, fingerator, digitiser or digitorium are official versions of the Sonic hedgehog gene, even if the electronic game name is way more famous as we all know. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.131.97.2 (talk) 04:15, 19 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Citation needed. I can't find references to any of those names anywhere, so without some verifiable source, there's no reason to change the article. Do you have a reference? 24.252.216.45 (talk) 20:01, 25 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Sure, no problem. Try, , , PubMed SHH, or any of the links in the protein infobox that is already in the article.  And your reference that supports "fIngerator, digitiser or digitorium" as alternative names for the "sonic hedgehog" gene/protein? Boghog (talk) 03:46, 26 August 2014 (UTC)


 * It's part of the hedgehog family, how does "sonic hedgehog" not fit the naming scheme? I can see "Robotnikin" being somewhat more egregious and worthy of criticism, but the protein's name seems fine. 98.194.81.104 (talk) 21:40, 11 January 2015 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure I understand. Why do you feel that you get to name the gene rather than the person who discovered it? What gives you the right to call a particular name a "joke" Personally I think it's preferable to the standard of using some Greek mythological being a little tired and certainly no one will soon forget the name and the ridiculousness of the name is in the eye of the beholder. Drewder (talk) 22:48, 3 March 2015 (UTC)

Therapeutic relevance
I snipped the following section because I fail to see how it adds anything of value to the article. Perhaps with some more context, preferably in prose form, this would be more useful, but as a standalone list, it's hardly of benefit. Folks likely to be interested in such studies are most likely fully capable of typing "sonic hedgehog" into their friendly neighborhood PubMed search box. --David Iberri | Talk 22:44, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

*Cancers related to Hh signaling (antagonist)

-ameloblastoma

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12147741&query_hl=1

-oral squamous cell carcinoma

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14733907&query_hl=1

-gastric adenocarcinomas

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15905200&query_hl=8

-pancreatic cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14520413&query_hl=1

-colorectal carcinoma

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15170664&query_hl=1

-Basal Cell Carcinomas

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11257109&query_hl=1

-Medulloblastoma

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12202832&query_hl=1

-Prostate Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15482598&query_hl=8

-Lung Cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12629553&query_hl=1

-Multiple Exostoses

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10529789&query_hl=1

-rhabdomyosarcoma

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15480423&query_hl=8

Agonist uses of Hh signal

-Alopecia (hair loss)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11752010&query_hl=1

*Adult stem cell linage specification and division

*Embryonic stem cell linage specification and division

Dopamine Neruons

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15749344&query_hl=8

Motor Neurons

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15685164&query_hl=8


 * This is someone's dump of a PubMed search. What therapeutic intervention is there for shh mutations? JFW | T@lk  17:41, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Yes there are a lot of antagonist of the pathway that bind to the SMO. Cyclopamine being the most famous. This was my "dump" if you call it that. It is actually part of a bigger project for a database related to the Hh pathway. I have selected various studies that deal specifically with Hh signaling and that cancer. There is a lot of value. Just take a look at the implications. Embryonic stem cells, cancer, and even hair growth. Genentech is already in phase 1 trials for a Hh antagonist for BCC.


 * I don't think anyone was debating the importance of the Hedgehog pathway; and it's roles are definitely interesting - just that it was kind of a meaningless list. The information contained is interesting - but perhaps consider presenting the information as prose, rather than copying and pasting a list from your notes?  It's an encyclopaedia, not a research forum.  Confuseddave 21:32, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

See Also?
I'm a little confused as to why Pokemon is listed in the see also section, this article provides no information regarding the naming of SHH. There are infact several gene products with nifty little names. And off the top of my head, I don't think the two are related. I think that perhaps a see also to Retinoic acid (part of signalling pathway) or AERs should be included. It just seems that shh does so much and it's see also shouldn't point to another article for such a trivial reason. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Curtbash (talk • contribs) 03:26, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Three Homologues?
Hey... my understanding is somewhat hazy, but I thought Sonic Hedgehog, Desert Hedgehog, and Indian Hedgehog were orthologues of the original Hedgehog identified in drosophila? The current edition is very unclear, and appears to imply that drosophila has all of the above.

I've had a nose around and can't find anything conclusive... I'll try again when I have a bit more time. Otherwise, anyone know for sure? Confuseddave 21:32, 23 January 2006 (UTC)


 * Drosophila has one gene (hedgehog), mammals have three (sonic, desert, indian), zebrafish has five (sonic, desert, indian plus tiggywinkle and echidna). I'll try and make it clearer in the text. Rockpocket 22:55, 23 January 2006 (UTC)

Confusion in pathway details
This section of the article describes the Drosophila pathway, rather than the mammalian one. I will try to replace it with appropriate description. Please feel free to extend it. --Peter Znamenskiy | Talk 20:16, 20 May 2006 (GMT)

Hedgehog inducers bind to proteins of the Patched family, which are transmembrane proteins in the cell membranes of cells responsive to hedgehog. In the absence of hedghog Patched is bound to Smoothened, another membrane protein. This setup keeps the Cubitus interruptus (Ci) protein bound to microtubules in the cytoplasm of the cell, which leads to the cleaving of the protein. Part of the cleaved molecule then enters the nucleus and acts as a repressor to certain genes. When hedgehog binds to Patched, Smoothened allows Ci to dissociate from the microtubules, and hence remain as an intact protein. This protein also enters the nucleus, but in this state acts to activate the genes it once repressed.

Pathway diagram
I am working on a diagram illustrating the pathway. I'm including production of SHH (cleavage and attachment of cholesterol), its export with assistance of DISP and the PTCH -| SMO ->->-> GLI -> transcription cascade. Is there anything else you would like to see illustrated? --Peter Znamenskiy 19:23, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Reorganisation
Okay, this is what I will try to do with this page and Hedgehog (cell signaling). Sonic hedgehog should only describe SHH itself as a protein. General pathway information goes on Hedgehog (cell signaling). I think it'd be a good approach to do the same for all cell signaling articles. Peter Z.Talk 22:16, 20 June 2006 (UTC)
 * I've started the reorganisation. I'm sorry I leave this in a bit of a mess but I have to sleep now :) I'll continue with it tomorrow. Peter Z.Talk 23:31, 21 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Uh-huh - the mind has to be sharp otherwise it ain't that productive. -- Boris 01:38, 22 June 2006 (UTC)


 * Good call!!! How about you say this loud and clear on our project's talk pages so everyone can hear you and i will back you up. -- Boris 01:38, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

References section
Something's wrong with the references. It starts 1, 2, 3, then starts over with 1 again. --Brandon Dilbeck 17:22, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
 * People are using two different types of references in the page. The first three use the &lt;ref&gt; tag, the rest seem to use the cite template. 19:07, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

SHH to be renamed?
See e.g. http://www.geneticsandhealth.com/2006/11/12/hugo-changing-offensive-gene-names/ -- Mozjag 06:47, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Sonic hedgehog is not dead yet.
 * A Jurassic ornithischian dinosaur from Siberia with both feathers and scales
 * Science 25 July 2014: 451-455. [DOI:10.1126/science.1253351]
 * ...feather development. The local formation of scales requires the inhibition of epidermal outgrowth, regulated by the sonic hedgehog pathway; this inhibition is partially lost in the case of breeds with feathered feet (27). Therefore, it is possible... --Nbauman (talk) 02:01, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

THe name
Did anyone know that this was actually named after Sonic the Hedgehog? -PrehistoricManiac08 (talk) 22:39, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I expect the person who named it knew that, and anyone who has read this article would know too, since it is stated quite clearly. Rockpock  e  t  22:43, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Going to a primary source, the two discoverers of SHH said "We named them [the three discovered gene variants] after three types of hedgehog: Desert hedgehog, for a species prevalent in North Africa; Indian hedgehog, after a variety indigenous to the Indian subcontinent; and Sonic hedgehog, for the Sega computer game character found in video arcades worldwide." Kernsters (talk) 17:43, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

When I first saw the link to this article from another Wikipedia article I had my vandalism trigger finger ready, I was flabbergasted to realize it was the actual name. Hurricane Floyd (talk) 09:46, 26 July 2008 (UTC)

Neil Shubin, in Your Inner Fish, says that sonic hedgehog was definately named after the game. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.138.186.91 (talk) 19:08, 13 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Cell got permission from Segea to use Sonic the Hedgehog on its cover. I think it does a lot to break down the preconceptions people have about scientists. --Nbauman (talk) 02:41, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Robotnikinin
Should we include the inhibitor Robotnikinin in this article? --Æ AUSSIE evil Æ 20:27, 4 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Serious question here: Sonic hedgehog makes your limbs grow... so does that mean that if you have too much Robotnikin, you'll have a smaller PINGAS? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.175.28.48 (talk) 21:18, 30 November 2009 (UTC)

You just HAD to refer to that meme, didn't you? The fact you did refer to it makes me doubt the question is serious. 62.252.178.158 (talk) 18:20, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Addition of details for Shh's role in patterning of the CNS.
I have added details regarding Shh's role in patterning of CNS, particularly dorsoventral patterning of spinal cord through its interactions with other proteins. Jo piyush (talk) 06:35, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

Deletin'
I've deleted the part of the article that said:

Criticism of the name Some clinicians and scientists criticize giving genes frivolous, whimsical, or quirky names, calling it inappropriate that patients with "a serious illness or disability are told that they or their child have a mutation in a gene such as Sonic hedgehog.

Because that was something someone said on 4chan one day (you can see the thread in the archive). SHH is not a gene, it's a protein and this text clearly lacks scientific point of view since it offers a case that will never be real. Although, someone should add real references and information about the criticism of the name.

I remind you again, those references were empty and the very way it is described makes it obvious that the text was not written with an objective point of view. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.87.84.24 (talk) 04:04, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I have restored the paragraph because it is well sourced and relevant. The original sources ( and ) are NOT empty but are hidden behind a paywall. Furthermore, these articles are short and therefore PubMed ( and ) does not have abstracts for these articles. Finally  is the symbol for the s onic h edge h og gene that encodes the sonic hedgehog protein . I have edited the lead to make this clearer.  Boghog (talk) 05:45, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Breach of copyright - the name...
Isn't the name "Sonic hedgehog" a breach of the copyright of Sega?, who was designed in 1991-1997? This will last until 50 years after the creator (Naoto Oshima) dies! 134.148.67.15 (talk) 11:38, 17 October 2014 (UTC) Nope. a fake or real or half-fake half-real (in which case sonic is) name can be used in almost anything. — Preceding unsigned comment added by TheBendly (talk • contribs) 20:16, 1 November 2018 (UTC)

Formerly or formally
The Discovery paragraph twice uses the phrase "formerly described". "Formerly" means previously. If something was previously described it is forever described. One usually speaks of "formally described" to acknowledge the special scientific meaning (territory claim!) of describing something in print eg describing a species. If the intent is to refer to the original choice of name, then it should say "formerly named as" or "formerly called", but "originally called" reads better. BioImages2000 (talk) 08:27, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

My favorite page of all time
I think this is my favorite Wikipedia page, on par with LSD and Fucking, Austria. DudeWithAFeud (talk) 05:27, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

(formerly described as echidna hedgehog, named for Knuckles the Echidna the antagonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic the spiny anteater and not for the Sonic character)
Can someone who knows what this is meant to say please clean up this failed abortion of a sentence? TIA. 60.224.130.179 (talk) 04:48, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

Joke / not a joke clarification needed.
The article should start by pointing out that this is not a hoax or joke page, and that there really is a protein called sonic the hedgehog. 118.149.210.243 (talk) 03:35, 2 May 2016 (UTC)
 * The protein is sonic hedgehog, not "sonic the hedgehog". – wbm1058 (talk) 15:28, 14 April 2018 (UTC)
 * There's an entire article with references. Why would someone think it's a joke? Natureium (talk) 14:25, 17 May 2018 (UTC)

Shh in fish fin development
I am not a biologist or alike so I don't know how to add exactly this information. Article's DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0080-5 --Hienafant (talk) 23:41, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

:| Heh...
I actually think the name makes me laugh. plus, i was brought to this gene from a facts video about what it was named from. TheBendly (talk) 12:21, 1 November 2018 (UTC)

Remove "Controversy" section?
All three sources cited in the "controversy" section are between 14 and 26 years old. Further, two of the three cited sources are "letters to the editor", and the third is simply a quote from one single person in 1994. I think it's safe to say that this "controversy" has long been over and done with. If nobody objects, I will delete the section. For now, I will rename and reword it to reflect the bygone nature of the controversy. &mdash; QuintessentialAnomaly [talk] 20:15, 24 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Late reply, but I think the section is worth keeping simply for the historic value. Just because the controversy is no longer relevant doesn't mean it shouldn't be mentioned. parchii (talk) 09:20, 8 May 2023 (UTC)