SAG is a cell-permeable agonist for smoothened, a key part of the hedgehog signaling pathway.
It directly activates smoothened and can prevent cyclopamine inhibition.
SAG can be used to enhance the neuronal differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells and aid in the survival and proliferation of neuronal precursors.
It is reported to prevent drug induced brain injury and stimulate normal cerebellum after injection in mice with an induced Down's syndrome-like condition.
