Despite its silly-sounding name, the Sonic hedgehog (Hh) protein has a very important function in patterning the shape and size of many parts of the human body.  Unfortunately, aberrant Sonic hedgehog activity is also the cause of a number of tumor types in humans, including a type of childhood brain tumor called medulloblastoma. One potential approach to kill these tumors is to block the proteins that promote their growth.  To identify new target proteins we are looking at genes that are expressed in a mouse model of human Hedgehog-driven brain tumors called medulloblastoma.  We have identified a new Sonic hedgehog target protein that is increased in medulloblastomas in these mice and our preliminary data suggests that this protein helps cells to grow.  We are proposing to determine whether this protein is important for the growth of Hh-driven tumors.  These experiments will lead to the development of novel treatments for these tumors.