TGF-β signaling pathways in cancers

TGF-β is a multifunctional cytokine involved in growth, cell differentiation and maintenanceof tissue homeostasis. In addition, TGF-β plays a key role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer. TGF-β-induced signaling pathways have either tumor-suppression or tumor-promoting effects in a cancer-type-specific and stage-dependent manner. TGF-β at an early stage of cancer development induces signaling pathways involved in inhibitionof cell proliferation, induction of differentiation, apoptosis or autophagy, suppression of angiogenesis and inflammation. At a later stage of disease, TGF-β exerts metastasis-promoting activity associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, modulation of cancer microenvironment and extracellular matrix components, inflammation and immune suppression. Furthermore, the TGF-β pathways play a pivotal role in the maintenance of stem cell-like properties of tumor cells. The pleiotropic action of TGF-β during tumorigenesis depends on interactions with different signaling pathways, including Hedgehog, WNT, PI3K--AKT, NOTCH, INF-γ, TNF-α, and RAS-ERK.