Drosophila Patched Gene (Patched Family) encodes Patched protein, an integral membrane protein containing an SSD domain that acts as a segmentation polarity pattern receptor for hedgehog during embryonic segmentation and during imaginal disk development. Patched associates with smoothened protein to transduce hedgehog signal, leading to activation of wingless, decapentaplegic, and patched. In the absence of hedgehog, patched represses constitutive smoothened signaling through fused. (NCI) [ ]