Patent ID: 8574837

Claim:
A method for screening a drug affect on the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway comprising the steps of: culturing a first population and second population of cells, wherein both populations express a A::Smoothened::Fluorescent Protein construct (A::Smo::FP), and wherein A is a fragment of an acyl carrier protein that suffices for post-translational phosphopantetheinylation of A::Smo::FP protein; labeling both the first and second cell populations with a fluorophore using AcpS; contacting the first cell population with a Hh ligand; contacting the second cell population with a Hh ligand and a drug; observing the cilial translocation of said A::Smo::FP in the first cell population and in the second cell population by visualizing the FP and fluorophore; comparing the cilial translocation of said A::Smo::FP in the first cell population with the second cell population; wherein a difference in cilial translocation of said A::Smo::FP in the first cell population and the second cell population provides an indication of whether said drug affects the Hh signaling pathway.