Pancreatic fibroblasts smoothen their activities via AKT–GLI2–TGFα

Pancreatic stromal fibroblasts provide structural support. Activated fibroblasts are critical in the tumor microenvironment. In this issue of Genes & Development, Liu and colleagues (pp. 1943–1955) unravel the finding that depletion of Smoothened (Smo) in pancreatic stromal fibroblasts results in AKT activation and noncanonical GLI2 activation with subsequent TGFα secretion, activation of EGFR in pancreatic epithelial cells, and augmentation of acinar–ductal metaplasia. Additionally, Smo-mediated signaling has proproliferative effects on pancreatic tumor cells.