Regulation of ovarian activity is an integrated process encompassing both extraovarian signals and intrafollicular factors. Initiation of primordial follicle growth and the early stages of folliculogenesis can occur without gonadotropins, but FSH may affect the rate of preantral follicle growth. Antral follicle development from 1 to 4 mm in sheep and cattle is completely gonadotropin dependent....

A large body of evidences implicates transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In this context, TGF-beta receptor dysfunction has been suggested to be relevant. We tested the effect of hypercholesterolemia, a well-known risk factor for atherosclerosis, on liver type II TGF-beta receptor (TbetaR-II) expression in atherosclerosis-susceptible C57BL/6 mouse ...

Human adult hematopoietic stem cells are mostly quiescent or slow cycling. We have previously demonstrated that blocking of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is able to activate, in the presence of cytokines, primitive quiescent hematopoietic multipotent progenitors which could not grow in a two week semi-solid culture assay (short term culture). We have also shown that anti-TGF-beta...

It has been considered that growth of human lung cancer cells, like other malignant cells, is positively and negatively regulated by a variety of growth factors via autocrine as well as paracrine mechanisms. The autocrine mechanism is considered to be important in the autonomy of proliferation of cancer cells. Recently, the role of autocrine growth-inhibiting factors such as transforming growth...

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a well characterized cytokine that appears to play a major role in directing the cellular response to injury, driving fibrogenesis, and, thus, potentially underlying the progression of chronic injury to fibrosis. In this study, we report the use of a novel TGF-beta receptor antagonist to block fibrogenesis induced by ligation of the common bile duct...

Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) are potentially devastating, and due to their asymptomatic behavior, pose a serious health risk characterized by the lack of medical treatment options and high rates of surgical morbidity and mortality. Independent of the inciting stimuli (biochemical/mechanical), TAA development proceeds by a multifactorial process influenced by both cellular and extracellular ...

The androgen receptor cross-talks with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) through mechanisms that remain poorly understood. Here we provide strong evidence that 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) intercepts the ability of prostate epithelial cells to undergo TGF-beta-induced apoptosis, and present a new model for this androgenic effect. We report that DHT decreases the level of TGF-beta r...