The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) pathway plays important role in physiological and pathological angiogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of 18-25 nucleotides small noncoding RNAs that function by regulating gene expression. Numbers of miRNAs have been found to be regulated by TGF-β pathway. However, the role of endothelial miRNAs in the TGF-β-mediated control of angiogenesis is stil...

This study aimed at evaluating the effect of high glucose on the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein Matrilin-2 and the mechanism underlying this effect by using a mouse mesangial cell line. Mouse mesangial cells (MMCs) were cultured in media containing normal (5 mM d-glucose) or high concentrations of glucose (30 mM d-glucose). The expression of Matrilin-2 was assessed by either R...

Regulating TGF-beta receptor presentation provides an avenue to alter a cell's responsiveness to TGF-beta. We report that activation of the Erk MAP kinase pathway decreases the TGF-beta-induced Smad3 activation due to decreased cell surface levels of the type I receptor TbetaRI, but not the type II receptor. Inhibition of TACE activity or expression enhanced the cell surface TbetaRI levels and ...

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β antagonizes mitogenic Ras signaling during epithelial regeneration, but TGF-β and Ras act synergistically in driving tumor progression. Insights into these apparently contradictory effects have come from recent detailed analyses of the TGF-β signaling process. Here, we summarize the different modes of TGF-β/Ras signaling in normal epithelium and neoplasms and ...

Few pharmacotherapies are currently available to treat castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), with low impact on patient survival. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a multi-functional peptide with opposite roles in prostate tumorigenesis as an inhibitor in normal growth and early stage disease and a promoter in advanced prostate cancer. Dysregulated TGF-β signaling leads to a cascad...

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have been documented to promote bone fracture healing in nonunions and increase lumbar spinal fusion rates. However, the molecular mechanisms by which PEMF stimulates differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) into osteoblasts are not well understood. In this study the PEMF effects on hBMSCs were studied by microarray analysis. PEMF stimula...

Background and Aims: TGF-β is an effective cytokine in the viral replication cycle, which is also highly relevant to the pathogenesis of some viral infections. TGF-β induction by viral proteins is one of the ways to escape the virus from the immune system by inhibiting interferon signaling and other immune system factors.  In recent years, the role of TGF-β and its inhibitor...

Background/Aims MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. The aim this study was to explore whether miRNA antagomirs could serve as potential therapeutic agents interstitial lung diseases. Methods A mouse model fibrosis established by intratracheal injection bleomycin (BLM). Using microarray analysis, up-regulated miRNAs were identified during ...

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway regulates a variety of tumor-related diseases, including leukemia. The present study aimed to determine whether there was an interaction between the Hh signaling pathway and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in the KG-1 cell line. KG-1 cells were treated with TGF-β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and specific inhibitor of smad3 (SIS3). The expression level of...

BACKGROUND Growth arrest in many cell types is triggered by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), which signals through two TGF-beta receptors (type I, TGF-beta RI, and type II, TGF-beta). In the signaling pathway, TGF-beta binds to the extracellular domain of TGF-betaRII, which can then transphosphorylate TGF-betaRI in its glycine/serine (GS)-rich box. Activated TGF-betaRI phosphorylates...