Research Highlight: Desert Hedgehog/Patch2 axis contributes to vascular permeability and angiogenesi

Using Brain Tumor Initiating Cells (BTICs) isolated from a cohort of 14 patients, we show here that factors emanating from BTICs positively control the expression of PTCH2, receptor of the hedgehog pathway, in human brain endothelial cells. At the functional level, PTCH2 up-regulation favors endothelial plasticity and notably permeability.