TGF- signal transduction and mesangial cell fibrogenesis

Schnaper, H. William, Tomoko Hayashida, Susan C. Hubchak, and Anne-Christine Poncelet. TGFsignal transduction and mesangial cell fibrogenesis. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 284: F243–F252, 2003; 10.1152/ajprenal.00300.2002.—Transforming growth factor(TGF) is closely associated with progressive renal fibrosis. Significant progress has been accomplished in determining the cellular signaling pathways that are activated by TGF. This knowledge is being applied to glomerular mesangial cell models of extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation. A central component of TGF-stimulated mesangial cell fibrogenesis is the TGFfamily-specific Smad signal transduction pathway. However, while Smads play an important role in collagen accumulation, recent findings indicate that cross talk among a variety of pathways is necessary for maximal stimulation of collagen expression. Further investigation of these multiple interactions will provide insight into possible ways to interrupt cellular mechanisms of glomerular fibrogenesis.