Abrogation of TGFbeta signaling induces apoptosis through the modulation of MAP kinase pathways in breast cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) can modulate the activity of various MAP kinases. However, how this pathway may mediate TGFbeta-induced malignant phenotypes remains elusive. We investigated the role of autocrine TGFbeta signaling through MAP kinases in the regulation of cell survival in breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells and untransformed human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs). Our results show that abrogation of autocrine TGFbeta signaling with the expression of a dominant negative type II TGFbeta receptor (DNRII) or the treatment with a TGFbeta type I receptor inhibitor significantly increased apoptosis in MCF-7 cell, but not in HMEC. The expression of DNRII markedly decreased activated/phosphorylated Erk, whereas increased activated/phosphorylated p38 in MCF-7 cells. In contrast, th

SUBMITTER: Lei X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1905831 | biostudies-literature | 2007 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature