ABSTRACT: The transforming growth factor
(TGF-beta) family of growth factors controls an immense number of cellular
responses and figures prominently in development and homeostasis of most human
tissues. Work over the past decades has revealed significant insight into the
TGF-beta signal transduction network, such as activation of serine/threonine
receptors through ligand binding, activation of SMAD proteins through
phosphorylation, regulation of target genes expression in association with
DNA-binding partners and regulation of SMAD activity and degradation.
Disruption of the TGF-beta pathway has been implicated in many human diseases,
including solid and hematopoietic tumors. As a potent inhibitor of cell
proliferation, TGF-beta acts as a tumor suppressor; however in tumor cells,
TGF-beta looses anti-proliferative response and become an oncogenic factor.
This article reviews current understanding of TGF-beta signaling and different
mechanisms that lead to its impairment in various solid tumors and
hematological malignancies.
Source: TGF-beta -- an excellent
servant but a bad master. Kubiczkova L, Sedlarikova L, Hajek R, Sevcikova S (sevcik@med.muni.cz). J Transl Med. 2012
Sep 3;10(1):183.
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