The multifunctional cytokine transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) plays a dual role in prostate cancer (PCa), cell growth and tumorigenesis, reflected by its opposing properties of anti-oncogenic (e.g. growth inhibition and apoptosis) and pro-oncogenic effects (e.g. proliferation, cell motility and remodelling of the microenvironment).
In the later stages of PCa, TGFβ loses anti-proliferative and thereby tumor-suppressive functions and shifts to a tumorigenic phenotype, mainly initiated by cross-talk between TGFβ signalling and other proliferation signal transduction pathways, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and androgen receptor (AR) signalling. Although TGFβ plays an important role in tumor progression little is known about the underlying effects of TGFβ in the molecular pathology of PCa.
Written by:
Stope MB, Rönnau C, Schubert T, Staar D, Bradl J, Ziegler P, Streitbörger A, Kroeger N, Zimmermann U, Walther R, Burchardt M, Börgermann C. Are you the author?
Klinik und Poliklinik für Urologie, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17475, Greifswald, Deutschland.
Reference: Urologe A. 2012 Nov 18. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1007/s00120-012-3049-5
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23160607
Article in German.
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