Identification of GLI-associated proteins by mass spectrometry

The Hedgehog signaling pathway is essential for the maintenance and response of several types of stem cells. To study the transcriptional response of stem cells to HH signaling, we searched for proteins binding to GLI proteins, the transcriptional effectors of the HH pathway in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. We purified GLI protein complex from an ES cell line that contained a tamoxifen-inducible 3XFLAG-tagged GLI3 repressor allele by anti-FLAG immunoprecipitation and several novel GLI co-factors were identified in the complex by subsequent mass spectrometry analysis.