Loss-of-function mutations in the genes encoding dystrophin and the associated membrane proteins, the sarcoglycans, produce muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy. The dystrophin complex provides stability to the plasma membrane of striated muscle during muscle contraction. Increased SMAD signaling due to activation of the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) pathway has been described in muscula...

Crosstalk of signaling pathways plays crucial roles in cell fate determination, cell differentiation and proliferation. Both BMP-4/Smad-1 and FGF/Xbra signaling induce the expression of PV.1, leading to neural inhibition. However, BMP-4/Smad-1 and FGF/Xbra signaling crosstalk in the regulation of PV.1 transcription is still largely unknown. In this study, Smad-1 and Xbra physically interacted a...

Bone morphogenetic proteins, BMPs, are members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily, which are implicated in embryogenesis, organogenesis, skeletogenesis, osteogenesis, cellular differentiation and apoptosis by regulating the expression of specific target genes. Recent progresses in studying the BMP signaling reveal that a cytoplasmic protein family, Smad, plays a centr...

Cleome viscosa L. (Cleomaceae) is an important traditional medicine of the Indian-Ayurvedic and Chinese-medicine system documented for rheumatic arthritis, hypertension, malaria, neurasthenia, and wound healing. The plant is also known as Asian spider flower and is distributed throughout the greater part of India. The present study explored the wound healing property of C. viscosa methanol extr...

It has now been a decade since the first discovery of the intracellular Smad proteins, the downstream signalling molecules of one of the most important growth factor families in the animal kingdom, the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily. In the ovary, several TGF-beta superfamily members are expressed by the oocyte, granulosa and thecal cells at different stages of folliculo...

Smad proteins form multimeric complexes consisting of the 'common partner' Smad4 and receptor regulated R-Smads on clustered DNA binding sites. Deciphering how pathway specific Smad complexes multimerize on DNA to regulate gene expression is critical for a better understanding of the cis-regulatory logic of TGF-β and BMP signaling. To this end, we solved the crystal structure of the dimeric Sma...

Purpose: To determine the anti-scarring effect of polysulfonic acid mucopolysaccharide (MSP), and implication TGF-β1/Smad signal transduction route.Methods: Sixty (60) male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were assigned to control, model groups, respectively, each with 20 rats. Serum inflammatory factors, scar area thickness, histopathological changes relative concentrations TGF-β1 Smad4, collagen type...

binding by the ternary Smad–FAST complex. Smad3 can bers are a group of secreted polypeptides that regulate replace Smad2 in this complex and at the Mix.2 element a diverse array of developmental and biological pro-can activate transcription (Yeo et al., 1999), whereas at the cesses. Disruption of the ligands or of components of goosecoid promoter Smad3 blocks activation (Labbé et their signali...

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic factor that plays an imperative role in tubular repair and regeneration after acute renal injury. Growing evidence indicates that HGF is also an endogenous renoprotective factor that possesses a potent antifibrotic ability. HGF prevents the initiation and progression of chronic renal fibrosis and inhibits transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1) e...

Smad proteins are signaling intermediates of the TGF-beta superfamily and are involved in a range of biological activities including development and immune responses. We studied the expression of TGF-beta-receptor activated Smads (Smad2 and Smad3), the common partner Smad (Smad4), an inhibitory Smad (Smad7), and the activated (phosphorylated) Smad2 (pSmad2) in developing and adult kidneys of hu...