Despite the characterization of neuroprotection by transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), the signaling pathway mediating its protective effect is unclear. Bad is a proapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family and is inactivated on phosphorylation via mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). This study attempted to address whether MAPK signaling and Bad phosphorylation were influenced by TGF-...

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is involved in the generation of CD8+ T suppressor cells, natural killer (NK) cells and regulatory T (Th3) cells for down-regulatory effects on antibody production. We studied TGF-beta1 activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to try to clarify whether the dysregulation by TGF-beta1 is genetically determined. Sera from 55 patients...

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is abundantly expressed in pulmonary hypertension, but its effect on the pulmonary circulation remains unsettled. We studied the consequences of TGF-beta1 stimulation on freshly isolated human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMC). TGF-beta1 initially promoted differentiation, with upregulated expression of smooth muscle contractile proteins....

Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) acts as a tumor suppressor at early stages of carcinogenesis, however, it has also been suggested to promote tumor progression at late stages. To determine at which stage and by what mechanisms this functional switch occurs, we have generated gene-switch-TGF-beta1 mice in which TGF-beta1 transgene expression can be induced in skin tumors at specific ...

The von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene is mutated in patients with VHL disease and in the majority of patients with sporadic clear cell renal carcinoma (RCC). Overexpression of transforming growth factor (TGF) beta1 has been observed in patients with several cancers, including RCCs, with serum and urine levels correlating inversely with prognosis. We have demonstrated that the VHL tu...

BACKGROUND TGF-beta is a multifunctional growth factor involved in regulating a variety of cellular activities. Unlike mammals, the function of TGF-beta in the reproduction of lower vertebrates, such as fish, is not clear. Recently, we showed that TGF-beta1 inhibits gonadotropin- and 17alpha, 20beta-dihydroxyprogesterone (DHP)-induced maturation in zebrafish. The aim of the present study was to...

BACKGROUND/AIMS In the current study we examined if the multifunctional cytokine TGF-beta1 mediated glucose-evoked increases in connexin-43(Cx43)-mediated intercellular communication in cells of the human collecting duct (HCD). METHODS RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to confirm mRNA and protein expression of TGF-beta1 and Cx43 in HCD-cells. The effect of TGF-beta1 and high glucose ...

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) plays a pivotal role in increasing airway smooth muscle mass in severe asthma by inducing proliferation and hypertrophy of human airway smooth muscle. The mechanism(s) for these effects of TGF-beta1 have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that TGF-beta1 is a potent inducer of expression of the nonphagocyte NAD(P)H oxidase cataly...

Elevated serum or plasma Transforming Growth Factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) {levels have been} linked to cancer and other diseases in numerous studies; however, very few studies have reported an association between circulating TGF-beta1 and lifestyle factors in healthy people. We examined the association between serum TGF-beta1 levels and gender, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and drinking in a...

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...