Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Studying TGF-β Signaling and TGF-β-induced Epithelial-to-mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer and Normal Cells
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Studying TGF-β Signaling and TGF-β-induced Epithelial-to-mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer and Normal Cells

Published on: October 27, 2020

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TGF-β Signaling in Cancer: Control by Negative Regulators and Crosstalk with Proinflammatory and Fibrogenic Pathways

Hendrik Ungefroren1,2

  • 1First Department of Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany. hendrik.ungefroren@uksh.de.

Cancers
|March 22, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling impacts cancer by suppressing tumors early but promoting metastasis later. This review explores TGF-β

Area of Science:

  • Cellular and Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) pathway is crucial for cell and tissue regulation in eukaryotes.
  • Dysregulation of TGF-β signaling is implicated in pathologies like fibrosis and cancer.
  • TGF-β exhibits dual roles in cancer: tumor suppression in early epithelial cells and promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, metastasis, and immunosuppression in advanced tumors.

Discussion:

  • This collection examines TGF-β signaling in cancer, focusing on its complex roles in tumor immunity and inflammation.
  • It details TGF-β's impact on T-cell subsets and the interplay between TGF-β receptors, immune receptors, and mechanotransduction in immunosuppression.
  • Context-dependent responses to TGF-β are explored, emphasizing the influence of negative regulators and pro-survival/pro-apoptotic pathways.

Key Insights:

  • Canonical Smad signaling can be diverted by differential phosphorylation to promote mitogenesis, fibrosis, and carcinogenesis.
  • Post-translational modifications, such as SUMOylation, significantly alter protein function and influence TGF-β-driven EMT, invasion, and metastasis.
  • Understanding these regulatory mechanisms is key to targeting TGF-β signaling in cancer therapy.

Outlook:

  • Further research into the intricate regulatory networks of TGF-β signaling is essential for developing effective cancer treatments.
  • Investigating the role of post-translational modifications like SUMOylation offers novel therapeutic avenues.
  • Elucidating the context-dependent nature of TGF-β responses will enable more precise therapeutic strategies.
Keywords:
EMTSUMOylationTGF-βcancerfibrosisphosphorylationsignaling

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