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Shiqin Li [] and Meng Wang [] and Yanghui Chen [] and Wei Wang [] and Junying Wu [] and Chengpeng Yu [] and Yuehui Zheng [] and Zezheng Pan [] and []

Academic Editor: Leonard M. Eisenberg

Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China, ncu.edu.cn

Received Jan 26, 2017; Revised May 11, 2017; Accepted May 21, 2017

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

1. Introduction

Stem cells have many possible applications based on their ability for differentiation. At present, advances in regenerative treatments with stem cells are progressing dramatically, bringing hope for individuals with certain complicated and refractory diseases, such as maculopathy and nerve injury [1, 2]. GSCs are adult stem cells responsible for the production of gametes. The proper maintenance of GSCs is regulated by various signals in the surrounding microenvironment (the niche). In recent years, the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway was identified as a relevant regulator of GSCs through its direct regulation of GSCs and indirect regulation of the niche surrounding GSCs to affect GSCs. Because of their ability for differentiation, GSCs have possible applications in reproductive medicine. Here, we review and, respectively, discuss the effect of the Hh signaling pathway on the proliferation and differentiation of SSCs in Drosophila and male mammals, the migration of OGSCs from the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) to the ovary cortex, and the development of OGSCs in the ovary cortex of mammals.

2. Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

In 1980, when Nusslein-Volhard and Wieschaus were screening genes that affected the growth of fly larvae, they found that a certain mutated gene caused hedgehog-like spiked protrusions on the ventral side of Drosophila embryos; thus, the gene was named Hh [3]. Afterwards, three genes, Shh, Dhh, and Ihh, homologous to Hh, were found in vertebrates. The proteins encoded by all of the above genes can activate the Hh signaling pathway, which can regulate the function of stem cells, repair damaged cellular tissue, and maintain cellular structure [4, 5].

The classical Hh signaling pathway is composed of the Hh ligand, a membrane protein receptor complex of patched (Ptc) and smoothened (Smo) proteins,...

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