TGF-β Signal Transduction Pathway Research Articles

SNIP1 reduces extracellular matrix degradation and inflammation via inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway in osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common joint disease, is characterized by inflammation and cartilage degradation. Previous studies illustrated that Smad nuclear-interacting protein 1 (SNIP1) is an inhibitor of the TGF-β signal transduction pathway and SNIP1 has been reported as an anti-inflammatory factor. This study aimed to explore the role of SNIP1 in OA progression. In this study, the SNIP1 expression was evaluated in OA human and OA mice tissue and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)-induced chondrocytes. The Safranin-O (SO) staining and osteoarthritis research society international (OARSI) scoring system was used to evaluate cartilage injury. The gain- and loss-of-function studies for SNIP1 were performed in chondrocytes. The SNIP1 overexpression adenovirus was injected into mice by intra-articular injection. The SNIP1 expression was decreased in OA patients, OA mice, and IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes. The cartilage injury of medial meniscus-induced OA (DMM-OA) mice at 8 weeks showed more severe than that at 4 weeks. The expression of SNIP1 was lower at 8 weeks than that at 4 weeks. In IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes, SNIP1 overexpression reduced the expression of TNF-α and IL-6, alleviated ECM degradation, reduced the phosphorylation levels of p65 and IκBα, and decreased the p65 level in nuclear. Moreover, overexpression of SNIP1 alleviated cartilage injury in DMM-OA mice. In brief, our study suggested that SNIP1 alleviated OA and repressed inflammation by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB. This study might provide a new insight into OA treatment.

A biallelic SNIP1 Amish founder variant causes a recognizable neurodevelopmental disorder.

SNIP1 (Smad nuclear interacting protein 1) is a widely expressed transcriptional suppressor of the TGF-β signal-transduction pathway which plays a key role in human spliceosome function. Here, we describe extensive genetic studies and clinical findings of a complex inherited neurodevelopmental disorder in 35 individuals associated with a SNIP1 NM_024700.4:c.1097A>G, p.(Glu366Gly) variant, present at high frequency in the Amish community. The cardinal clinical features of the condition include hypotonia, global developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures, and a characteristic craniofacial appearance. Our gene transcript studies in affected individuals define altered gene expression profiles of a number of molecules with well-defined neurodevelopmental and neuropathological roles, potentially explaining clinical outcomes. Together these data confirm this SNIP1 gene variant as a cause of an autosomal recessive complex neurodevelopmental disorder and provide important insight into the molecular roles of SNIP1, which likely explain the cardinal clinical outcomes in affected individuals, defining potential therapeutic avenues for future research.

Identification, molecular evolution, and expression analysis of the transcription factor Smad gene family in lamprey

Transcription factor small mothers against decapentaplegic (Smad) family SMAD proteins are the essential intracellular signal mediators and transcription factors for transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signal transduction pathway, which usually exert pleiotropic actions on cell physiology, including immune response, cell migration and differentiation. In this study, the Smad family was identified in the most primitive vertebrates through the investigation of the transcriptome data of lampreys. The topology of phylogenetic tree showed that the four Smads (Smad1, Smad3, Smad4 and Smad6) in lampreys were subdivided into four different groups. Meanwhile, homology analysis indicated that most Smads were conserved with typical Mad Homology (MH) 1 and MH2 domains. In addition, Lethenteron reissneri Smads (Lr-Smads) adopted general Smads folding structure and had high tertiary structural similarity with human Smads (H-Smads). Genomic synteny analysis revealed that the large-scale duplication blocks were not found in lamprey genome and neighbor genes of lamprey Smads presented dramatic differences compared with jawed vertebrates. Importantly, quantitative real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that Smads were widely expressed in lamprey, and the expression level of Lr-Smads mRNA was up-regulated with different pathogenic stimulations. Moreover, depending on the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), four Lr-Smads were identified as two meaningful modules (green and gray). The functional analysis of these two modules showed that they might have a correlation with ployI:C. And these genes presented strong positive correlation during the immune response from the results of Pearson's correlation analysis. In conclusion, our results would not only enrich the information of Smad family in jawless vertebrates, but also lay the foundation for immunity in further study.

High Expression of Annexin A9 Promotes Cell Proliferation and Migration in Gastric Cancer via the TGF-β Signaling Pathway.

Annexin A9 (ANXA9) represents an important calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding protein family member and contains a calcium-binding site that is necessary for extracellular matrix proteins. ANXA9 has a significant role in human cancers. However, there is no correlation study existing on ANXA9 in gastric cancer (GC). ANXA9 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression within patients with GC were detected with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and its protein expression in GC and GES-1 cells were detected through Western blotting. ANXA9 levels within normal and GC tissue samples were measured by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Oncomine. Transwell migration, colony formation, and cell cycle assay monitored the effects of ANXA9 on cell proliferation and metastasis and growth. Additionally, proteins related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were detected to evaluate the function of ANXA9 within GC cells. Relative to GES-1 cells, ANXA9 expression increased within GC cells. Also, ANXA9 expression increased in GC tissues and indicated an unfavorable prognosis. Furthermore, ANXA9 over-expression within HGC-27 cells increased migrated cells quantity and formed larger and more numerous cell clones; the G1 phase decreased while S and G2 phases increased; whereas ANXA9 knockdown suppressed MGC-803 cell growth and migration. Thus, ANXA9 may influence cell growth, migration and EMT through transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signal transduction pathway. Immunofluorescence analyzed SMAD2/3 and p-SMAD2/3 distribution and expression when ANXA9 was overexpressed in HGC-27 cells. These results predicted that ANXA9 mediated cell migration and growth through TGF-β signal transduction pathway within GC.

Evaluation of wound healing activity of ethanol extract of Annona reticulata L. leaf both in vitro and in diabetic mice model

Background and aimThe leaves of AnnonareticulataLinn (牛心果niú x ınguǒ; Bullock’s heart), a member of Annonaceae family, have been used extensively in folk medicine; however, its wound healing potential is yet to be explored. Our aim was to investigate the wound healing ability of A. reticulataleaf extract in vitro and in streptozotocin induced diabetic mice model. Material and methodsWe observed the plant extract induced proliferation and migration of primary human dermal fibroblast (HDF), human skin fibroblast cell line (GM00637) and human keratinocyte cell line (HACAT). The expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, MMP-9), collagen-1, collagen-3, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) were evaluated by Western blot and gelatin zymography. Excisional diabetic wound model was used for in vivo wound healing assay. Furthermore, we processed wound tissue for histological and immunohistochemical study. ResultA. reticulata L. leaf extract stimulates proliferation and migration of HDF, skin fibroblast and keratinocyte significantly in a dose dependent manner; expression of TGF-β, CTGF, VEGF, α-SMA, MMP-2, MMP-9, collagen-1, collagen-3, FAK increased. Additionally, an enhanced expression of phospho-SMAD2, phospho-SMAD3 in the treated cells indicated the activation of TGF-β signal transduction pathway, similarly increased expression of phospho-AkT suggested activation of PI3/AkT pathway. Expression of CTGF and α-SMA was also increased significantly in wound tissue. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed that mainly two compounds to be present in the extract: quercetin and β-sitosterol. ConclusionCollective data suggest that A.reticulata leaf extract may have a stimulatory effect in diabetic wound healing.

Lutzomyia longipalpis TGF-β Has a Role in Leishmania infantum chagasi Survival in the Vector.

Despite the increasing number of studies concerning insect immunity, Lutzomyia longipalpis immune responses in the presence of Leishmania infantum chagasi infection has not been widely investigated. The few available studies analyzed the role of the Toll and IMD pathways involved in response against Leishmania and microbial infections. Nevertheless, effector molecules responsible for controlling sand fly infections have not been identified. In the present study we investigated the role a signal transduction pathway, the Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) pathway, on the interrelation between L. longipalpis and L. i. chagasi. We identified an L. longipalpis homolog belonging to the multifunctional cytokine TGF-β gene family (LlTGF-β), which is closely related to the activin/inhibin subfamily and potentially involved in responses to infections. We investigated this gene expression through the insect development and in adult flies infected with L. i. chagasi. Our results showed that LlTGF-β was expressed in all L. longipalpis developmental stages and was upregulated at the third day post L. i. chagasi infection, when protein levels were also higher as compared to uninfected insects. At this point blood digestion is finished and parasites are in close contact with the insect gut. In addition, we investigated the role of LlTGF-β on L. longipalpis infection by L. i. chagasi using either gene silencing by RNAi or pathway inactivation by addition of the TGF-β receptor inhibitor SB431542. The blockage of the LlTGF-β pathway increased significantly antimicrobial peptides expression and nitric oxide levels in the insect gut, as expected. Both methods led to a decreased L. i. chagasi infection. Our results show that inactivation of the L. longipalpis TGF-β signal transduction pathway reduce L. i. chagasi survival, therefore suggesting that under natural conditions the parasite benefits from the insect LlTGF-β pathway, as already seen in Plamodium infection of mosquitoes.

Next-generation sequencing to identify predictors of survival after trimodality therapy for esophageal cancer.

153 Background: Tumor mutation profiling has changed the prognostication and treatment of a wide variety of malignances. However, little is known about whether mutation profiles affect outcome in localized esophageal cancer treated with multimodality therapy. SMAD4 is a gene involved in the regulation of the TGF-β signal transduction pathway by negatively controlling the growth of epithelial cells and has been implicated as a prognostic factor in pancreatic cancer. We undertook an exploratory analysis of tumor mutation profiles, including SMAD4 status, in localized esophageal cancer patients treated with trimodality therapy at our institution. Methods: We identified 66 Stage II-III esophageal cancer patients treated with chemoradiation followed by surgery who had some form of tumor mutation profiling available. Only patients with mutation profiling from pre-treatment biopsy or post-chemoradiation surgical specimen (i.e. not from a subsequent metastatic lesion) were included. Twenty-two patients underwent next-generation sequencing assessing 341 candidate genes via targeted sequencing. Log-rank test was used to assess correlation of mutations to overall survival, and to pathologic response. Results: The median follow-up was 17.1 months. SMAD4 loss was identified in 3 of 22 patients (13.6%) who underwent next-generation sequencing, and was significantly associated with inferior overall survival (p=0.023). No other candidate genes were significantly associated with survival, and no genes were significantly associated with pathologic response. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first analysis of next-generation mutation profiling and outcome in non-metastatic esophageal cancer patients treated with trimodality therapy. Due to the limited numbers, this was an exploratory analysis only. We identified SMAD4 loss as a potential adverse prognostic factor for survival. More next-generation sequencing data from non-metastatic esophageal cancer patients treated with multimodality therapy is needed to further elucidate the potential relationship of SMAD4 loss or other mutations with outcome.

Age and sex differences in human skeletal muscle fibrosis markers and transforming growth factor-β signaling.

The aim of the study was to determine whether higher fibrosis markers in skeletal muscle of older adults are accompanied by increased expression of components of the canonical TGF-β signal transduction pathway. Fourteen healthy young (21-35years; 9 males and 5 females) and seventeen older (55-75years; 9 males and 8 females) participants underwent vastus lateralis biopsies to determine intramuscular mRNA and protein expression of fibrogenic markers and TGF-β signaling molecules related to TGF-β1 and myostatin. Expression of mRNA encoding the pro-fibrotic factors; axin 2, collagen III, β-catenin and fibronectin, were all significantly higher (all p<0.05) in the older participants (350, 170, 298, and 641%, respectively). Furthermore, axin 2 and β-catenin mRNA were significantly higher in older females than older males (p<0.05). Gene expression of ActRIIB, myostatin, and TGF-β1 were higher in older adults compared to younger adults (all p<0.05). There was, however, no difference in the total protein content of myostatin, myoD or myogenin (all p>0.05), whereas Smad3 protein phosphorylation was 48% lower (p<0.05) in muscle from older adults. Increased abundance of mRNA of fibrotic markers was observed in muscle from older adults and was partly accompanied by altered abundance of pro-fibrotic ligands in a sex specific manner.

Reversible Human TGF-β Signal Shifting between Tumor Suppression and Fibro-Carcinogenesis: Implications of Smad Phospho-Isoforms for Hepatic Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transitions.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) are observed during both physiological liver wound healing and the pathological fibrotic/carcinogenic (fibro-carcinogenetic) process. TGF-β and pro-inflammatory cytokine are considered to be the major factors accelerating liver fibrosis and promoting liver carcinogenesis. Smads, consisting of intermediate linker regions connecting Mad homology domains, act as the intracellular mediators of the TGF-β signal transduction pathway. As the TGF-β receptors, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase, differentially phosphorylate Smad2/3, we have generated numerous antibodies against linker (L) and C-terminal (C) phosphorylation sites in Smad2/3 and identified four types of phosphorylated forms: cytostatic COOH-terminally-phosphorylated Smad3 (pSmad3C), mitogenic pSmad3L (Ser-213) signaling, fibrogenic pSmad2L (Ser-245/250/255)/C signaling and migratory pSmad2/3L (Thr-220/179)/C signaling. After acute liver injury, TGF-β upregulates pSmad3C signaling and terminates pSmad3L (Ser-213)-mediated hepatocyte proliferation. TGF-β and pro-inflammatory cytokines cooperatively enhance collagen synthesis by upregulating pSmad2L (Thr-220)/C and pSmad3L (Thr-179)/C pathways in activated hepatic stellate cells. During chronic liver injuries, hepatocytes persistently affected by TGF-β and pro-inflammatory cytokines eventually become pre-neoplastic hepatocytes. Both myofibroblasts and pre-neoplastic hepatocyte exhibit the same carcinogenic (mitogenic) pSmad3L (Ser-213) and fibrogenic pSmad2L (Ser-245/250/255)/C signaling, with acquisition of fibro-carcinogenic properties and increasing risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Firstly, we review phospho-Smad-isoform signalings in epithelial and mesenchymal cells in physiological and pathological conditions and then consider Smad linker phosphorylation as a potential target for pathological EMT during human fibro-carcinogenesis, because human Smad phospho-isoform signals can reverse from fibro-carcinogenesis to tumor-suppression in a process of MET after therapy.

Genome-Wide RNAi Screening to Dissect the TGF-β Signal Transduction Pathway.

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family of cytokines figures prominently in regulation of embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis from Drosophila to mammals. Genetic defects affecting TGF-β signaling underlie developmental disorders and diseases such as cancer in human. Therefore, delineating the molecular mechanism by which TGF-β regulates cell biology is critical for understanding normal biology and disease mechanisms. Forward genetic screens in model organisms and biochemical approaches in mammalian tissue culture were instrumental in initial characterization of the TGF-β signal transduction pathway. With complete sequence information of the genomes and the advent of RNA interference (RNAi) technology, genome-wide RNAi screening emerged as a powerful functional genomics approach to systematically delineate molecular components of signal transduction pathways. Here, we describe a protocol for image-based whole-genome RNAi screening aimed at identifying molecules required for TGF-β signaling into the nucleus. Using this protocol we examined >90 % of annotated Drosophila open reading frames (ORF) individually and successfully uncovered several novel factors serving critical roles in the TGF-β pathway. Thus cell-based high-throughput functional genomics can uncover new mechanistic insights on signaling pathways beyond what the classical genetics had revealed.

TGF-β/Smad signaling during hepatic fibro-carcinogenesis (review).

After hepatitis virus infection, plasma transforming growth factor (TGF)-β increases in either the acute or chronic inflammatory microenvironment. Although TGF-β is upregulated in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, it is one of the most potent growth inhibitors for hepatocytes. This cytokine also upregulates extracellular matrix (ECM) production of hepatic stellate cells. Therefore, TGF-β is considered to be the major factor regulating liver carcinogenesis and accelerating liver fibrosis. Smad2 and Smad3 act as the intracellular mediators of TGF-β signal transduction pathway. We have generated numerous antibodies against individual phosphorylation sites in Smad2/3, and identified 3 types of phosphorylated forms (phospho-isoforms): COOH-terminally phosphorylated Smad2/3 (pSmad2C and pSmad3C), linker phosphorylated Smad2/3 (pSmad2L and pSmad3L) and dually phosphorylated Smad2/3 (pSmad2L/C and pSmad3L/C). These Smad phospho-isoforms are categorized into 3 groups: cytostatic pSmad3C signaling, mitogenic pSmad3L signaling and invasive/fibrogenic pSmad2L/C signaling. In this review, we describe differential regulation of TGF-β/Smad signaling after acute or chronic liver injuries. In addition, we consider how chronic inflammation associated with hepatitis virus infection promotes hepatic fibrosis and carcinogenesis (fibro-carcinogenesis), focusing on alteration of Smad phospho-isoform signaling. Finally, we show reversibility of Smad phospho-isoform signaling after therapy against hepatitis virus infection.

Loss of SMAD4 Protein Expression is Associated With High Tumor Grade and Poor Prognosis in Disseminated Appendiceal Mucinous Neoplasms

The distinction between low-grade and high-grade disseminated appendiceal mucinous neoplasms is of critical importance in assessing prognosis and guiding patient therapy. SMAD4 encodes a protein that is a central component of the TGFβ signal transduction pathway, and loss of SMAD4 expression has been associated with poor prognosis in carcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract. We reviewed the clinicopathologic and molecular features of 109 disseminated appendiceal mucinous neoplasms identified over an 8-year period at our institution in an attempt to: (1) correlate SMAD4 immunohistochemical expression with tumor grade; and (2) assess the prognostic significance of SMAD4 expression in predicting overall survival. Compared with tumors demonstrating preserved SMAD4 expression, tumors with loss of SMAD4 expression more frequently exhibited high cytologic grade (85% vs. 50%, P=0.035), high cellularity (100% vs. 45%, P<0.001), and destructive invasion (100% vs. 55%, P=0.001). SMAD4 expression significantly correlated with overall tumor grade (P=0.003): all 13 tumors with loss of SMAD4 expression were high grade, whereas all 42 low-grade tumors displayed preserved SMAD4 expression. A significantly higher proportion of tumors with loss of SMAD4 immunohistochemical expression demonstrated loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 18q (38%) compared with tumors with preserved SMAD4 expression (11%) (P=0.049), suggesting that loss of SMAD4 expression is due to genomic deletion in a high proportion of cases. Patients with SMAD4-negative tumors had significantly worse overall survival in comparison with patients with preserved SMAD4 expression (log rank P=0.023). However, our multivariable analysis found that SMAD4 expression was not independent of overall tumor grade in predicting overall survival. Our results indicate that loss of SMAD4 immunohistochemical expression is associated with loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 18q and is always associated with aggressive histologic features in disseminated appendiceal mucinous neoplasms. SMAD4 immunohistochemistry may be a useful ancillary study in select cases of disseminated appendiceal neoplasia, in which the distinction between low-grade and high-grade tumors is difficult.

Experimental Study &lt;i&gt;Oviductus ranae&lt;/i&gt; for the Change of α-SMA and TGF-β in Hepatic Fibrosis Rat Liver

To evaluate the control effect of Oviductus ranae on liver fibrosis in rats, and the change of TGF-β and α-SMA in liver of. To explore the mechanism of Oviductus ranae decoction on liver fibrosis. Methods Wistar female rats were randomly divided into a blank control group, model control group, colchicines group, Oviductus ranae group. Using the CCl4composite approach to make the rat modle. The course of treat-mart was 12 weeks.After treatment,All the rats was killed,and the materials and blood was taken,and to detect biochemical test of liver function after eight weeks. Investigating the variation of liver histology. Meanwhile detecting protein expression of TGF-β and α-SMA and by immunehistochemical method.Result The general condition of rats in all treatment groups are worse than the blank group,but better than the model group. And the rats in the model group were all occurred in liver fibrosis,and liver fibrosis is the most serious.In a normal rat liver tissue of TGF-β and α-SMA were significantly lower in model group and each treatment group, and there were significant differences, and the TGF-β and α-SMA in expression of liver tissue in model rats of TGF-β and α-SMA the highest. Conclusion: Oviductus ranae can effectively improve liver fibrosis rats induced by CC14liver function.Oviductus ranae can reduce the expression of TGF-β1in liver tissue of hepatic fibrosis rats induced by CCl4in. This may be one of the mechanisms of Oviductus ranae in prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis. Even though both increased expression of TGF-β and α-SMA expression, is able to determine TGF-β and α-SMA for the intervention of liver TGF-β signal transduction pathway in liver fibrosis.

In silico identification of potential therapeutic targets in the TGF-β signal transduction pathway

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily of cytokines controls fundamental cellular processes, such as proliferation, motility, differentiation, and apoptosis. This fundamental role is emphasized by the widespread presence of mutations of the core components of the TGF-β signal transduction pathway in a number of human diseases. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in the development of therapies to specifically target this pathway. Here we develop a computational approach to identify potential intervention points that are capable of restoring the normal signaling dynamics to the mutated system while maintaining the behavior of normal cells substantially unperturbed. We apply this approach explicitly to the TGF-β pathway to study the signaling dynamics of mutated and normal cells treated with inhibitory drugs and identify the processes in the pathway that are most susceptible to therapeutic intervention.

Computational modelling of Smad-mediated negative feedback and crosstalk in the TGF-β superfamily network

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signal transduction pathway controls many cellular processes, including differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. It plays a fundamental role during development and it is dysregulated in many diseases. The factors that control the dynamics of the pathway, however, are not fully elucidated yet and so far computational approaches have been very limited in capturing the distinct types of behaviour observed under different cellular backgrounds and conditions into a single-model description. Here, we develop a detailed computational model for TGF-β signalling that incorporates elements of previous models together with crosstalking between Smad1/5/8 and Smad2/3 channels through a negative feedback loop dependent on Smad7. The resulting model accurately reproduces the diverse behaviour of experimental datasets for human keratinocytes, bovine aortic endothelial cells and mouse mesenchymal cells, capturing the dynamics of activation and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of both R-Smad channels. The analysis of the model dynamics and its system properties revealed Smad7-mediated crosstalking between Smad1/5/8 and Smad2/3 channels as a major determinant in shaping the distinct responses to single and multiple ligand stimulation for different cell types.

Expression pattern of the transforming growth factor β signaling genes in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after exercise—inflammatory aspects

The present study has focused on the identification of differences between the expression pattern of TGF-β signaling pathway genes in athletes after exercise. The study group consisted of three healthy cyclists, which were collected pre-exercise, immediately postexercise, and after 15 min of recovery. The analysis of the expression profile of genes related to the TGF-β signal transduction pathway was performed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using HG-U133A oligonucleotide microarrays. A significant differential gene expression was recorded for RUNX3, TGFBR3, MLC1, and GRB2. The effect of physical exercise on immune response may be essential for human health. Moreover, alterations of TGF-β signaling can be involved in the process of adaptation of human organism to physical exertion.

Does TGF-β induced formation of actin stress fibres reinforce Smad dependent TGF-β signalling in the prostate?

In the normal prostate, and during early stages of prostate cancer (PCa) development, the cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) acts as a tumour suppressor by inducing cytostasis and apoptosis. However, during tumour development these Smad signalling-dependent endpoints are lost in favour of Smad-independent tumourigenic actions of TGF-β. In this working hypothesis we present an argument for an intimate association between the TGF-β signalling pathway and the actin cytoskeleton that acts to reinforce the tumour suppressive actions of TGF-β in the normal prostate epithelial cell. The rationale is that TGF-β induces expression of the actin binding and stabilising proteins transgelin and tropomyosin. Expression of these proteins is progressively repressed during PCa development, and is inhibited by constitutive activation of the Ras/MEK/ERK pathway, also known to antagonise TGF-β tumour suppression in PCa. The subsequent de-stabilisation of the actin cytoskeleton might, therefore, result in suppression of TGF-β/Smad signalling as an intact link between cytoskeleton and TGF-β receptor/Smad complex is essential. Filamin A is a scaffold protein that provides this link for receptor associated Smads. It is required for activation of the TGF-β signal transduction pathway. Thus, actin filament disorganisation would prevent Filamin A/R-Smad mediated TGF-β signalling, a subsequent loss of tumour suppression and hence promote the progression of PCa. Furthermore, it could be one mechanism by which the switch to a TGF-β tumourigenic response occurs.

Requirement of TCF7L2 for TGF-β-dependent Transcriptional Activation of the TMEPAI Gene

The TGF-β and Wnt pathways are involved in cell fate and tumorigenicity. A recent report indicated that a TGF-β target gene, TMEPAI (transmembrane prostate androgen-induced RNA), is possibly also a downstream target of Wnt signaling. Although TMEPAI was believed to be involved in tumorigenicity because of its blockage of TGF-β signaling, how TGF-β and Wnt signals affect the activation of the TMEPAI gene is not well understood. Herein, we show that the TMEPAI promoter is regulated synergistically by TGF-β/Smad and Wnt/β-catenin/T cell factor (TCF) 7L2. The critical cis-element for dual signals, termed TGF-β-responsive TCF7L2-binding element (TTE), is located in intron 1 of the TMEPAI gene. TCF7L2, but not Smad proteins, bound to TTE, whereas the disruption of TTE by mutagenesis remarkably counteracted both TGF-β and TCF7L2 responses. The introduction of mutations in critical Smad-binding elements blocked the activation of the TMEPAI promoter by TCF7L2. Furthermore, our DNA-protein interaction experiments revealed the indirect binding of TCF7L2 to Smad-binding elements via Smad3 upon TGF-β stimulation as well as its TGF-β-dependent association with TTE. We demonstrate that the Wnt/β-catenin/TCF7L2 pathway is preferentially able to alter the transcriptional regulation of the TGF-β-target gene, TMEPAI.

Bmi1 directly represses p21 Waf1/Cip1 in Shh-induced proliferation of cerebellar granule cell progenitors

Bmi1, the main component of the Polycomb repressive complex 1, plays a key role in self-renewal of stem cells as well as in proliferation of progenitor cells and senescence, at least in part through inhibition of the Cdkn2a locus. Bmi1 is highly expressed in the developing cerebellum, where it contributes to Shh-mediated expansion of granule cell precursors. Overexpression of Bmi1 has been described in medulloblastoma, highly aggressive brain neoplasms of childhood, which are thought to originate from deregulated proliferation of granule cell precursors. Here, we dissected the molecular mechanisms mediating the role of Bmi1 in granule cell development by means of transcriptome analysis in loss of function mouse models in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that lack of Bmi1 causes significant shift in gene expression levels in Shh stimulated cerebellar granule progenitors. Our results revealed differences in the expression of a number of genes involved in TGF-β signal transduction pathway, ECM remodeling and cell adhesion, and particularly, in cell cycle control, not only the well known cell cycle inhibitors p16 Ink4a, p19 Arf but also Cdkn1a (p21 Waf1/Cip1). Finally, we demonstrate that Bmi1 directly regulates p21 Waf1/Cip1 expression through direct binding to its promoter and may therefore represent a key mechanism mediating the role of Shh in postnatal cerebellar neurogenesis.

TGF-β/Smad-1 signaling activates regenerative pro-survival mechanisms, whereas TGF-β/Smad-2/3 leads to pro-apoptotic programs in primary mouse hepatocytes

Phosphorylation of the signaling molecules Smad2/3 is considered as classical TGF-β signal transduction pathway. However, in an increasing number of cell types, including endothelial cells, hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells, TGF-β phosphorylates Smad1, originally dedicated as BMP responsive branch. Since no discrimination of these parallel pathways was done up to now in liver cells, aim of the present study was to identify TGF-β/Smad1 target genes in cultured hepatocytes. Using microarray technology, TGF-β regulated early-response genes were identified either under control conditions or after adenoviral overexpression of Smad6, a specific inhibitor of Smad1 phosphorylation, which does not affect Smad2/3. Additionally TGF-β regulated genes were identified upon overexpression of Smad7, which blocks phosphorylation of all three Smads. With this experimental setup TGF-β/Smad1 targets could be distinguished from Smad2/3 and non-Smad target genes. TGF-β induced 53 genes within 1h by greater or equal to 1.6-fold and down-regulated 10 genes. Those genes which were mainly regulated via the Smad1 pathway included proteins involved in proliferation, differentiation, EMT (e.g. Id1, -2, -3, PDGF-A and –B, Snai1) as well as inhibitory proteins like Smad6 itself, Cish or the TGF-β pseudo-receptor Bambi. One of the strongest induced TGF-β/Smad1 target genes was the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin and the strongest down-regulated target gene was the cytochrome P450 1a1 (Cyp1a1). In summary, our data show that (i) TGF-β regulates a huge number of target genes within only 1 hour, (ii) the most strongly regulated genes (Id1, hepcidin, Id3, Cyp1a1) belong to the group of Smad1 targets and (iii) pro-apoptotic genes like Jun-B, Fos-B and Tieg1 are Smad2/3 regulated, implying that the alternative TGF-β/Smad1 route relates more to cell survival and regeneration. These findings explain to some extent the frequently observed opposing effects of TGF-β, e.g. on proliferation or apoptosis.