Dysregulation of the TGF-beta postreceptor signaling pathway in cell lines derived from primary or metastatic ovarian cancer

Diet-Derived Gallated Catechins Prevent TGF-β-Mediated Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Cell Migration and Vasculogenic Mimicry in Chemosensitive ES-2 Ovarian Cancer Cells

Background: Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β triggers ovarian cancer metastasis through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Whereas drug design strategies targeting the TGF-β signaling pathway have been envisioned, the anti-TGF structure:function aspect of chemopreventive diet-derived catechins remains unexplored.Aim: We assessed the effects of eight catechins on TGF-β-mediated cell migration and induction of EMT biomarkers, as well as on In Vitro vasculogenic mimicry (VM), a process partly regulated by EMT-related transcription factors.Results: TGF-β-mediated phosphorylation of Smad-3 and p38 signaling intermediates was more effective in a chemosensitive ES-2 ovarian cancer cell line but was inoperative in cis-platinum- and adriamycin-chemoresistant SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells. Increases in cell migration and in gene/protein expression of EMT biomarkers Fibronectin, Snail, and Slug were observed in ES-2 cells. When VM was assessed in ES-2 cells, 3D capillary-like structures were formed and increases in EMT biomarkers found. Catechins bearing the galloyl moiety (CG, ECG, GCG, and EGCG) exerted potent inhibition of TGF-β-induced cell migration as well as EMT, and inhibited VM, in part through inhibition of Snail and matrix metalloproteinase-2 secretion.Conclusions: Our data suggest that diet-derived catechins exhibit chemopreventive properties that circumvent the TGF-β-mediated signaling which contributes to the ovarian cancer metastatic phenotype.

Review: Targeting the Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Pathway in Ovarian Cancer

Despite extensive efforts, there has been limited progress in optimizing treatment of ovarian cancer patients. The vast majority of patients experience recurrence within a few years despite a high response rate to upfront therapy. The minimal improvement in overall survival of ovarian cancer patients in recent decades has directed research towards identifying specific biomarkers that serve both as prognostic factors and targets for therapy. Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) is a superfamily of proteins that have been well studied and implicated in a wide variety of cellular processes, both in normal physiologic development and malignant cellular growth. Hypersignaling via the TGF-β pathway is associated with increased tumor dissemination through various processes including immune evasion, promotion of angiogenesis, and increased epithelial to mesenchymal transformation. This pathway has been studied in various malignancies, including ovarian cancer. As targeted therapy has become increasingly prominent in drug development and clinical research, biomarkers such as TGF-β are being studied to improve outcomes in the ovarian cancer patient population. This review article discusses the role of TGF-β in ovarian cancer progression, the mechanisms of TGF-β signaling, and the targeted therapies aimed at the TGF-β pathway that are currently being studied.

Mechanisms of prostate atrophy after LHRH antagonist cetrorelix injection: an experimental study in a rat model of benign prostatic hyperplasia

In the present study, we investigated the roles of TGF-β signaling pathway in a rat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) model treated with cetrorelix. TGF-β1 and c-Myc expression were measured by qRT-PCR and Western blotting in the proximal and distal region of ventral prostatic lobes, respectively. We observed that treatment with cetrorelix led to a significant reduction of ventral prostate weight in a dose-dependent manner. In the proximal region, after cetrorelix treatment, the expression of TGF-β1 was dramatically increased (P<0.05), while the expression of c-Myc was significantly decreased (P<0.05). In comparison with the control group, the cetrorelix groups had more TUNEL-positive cells. Our findings strongly suggest that the TGF-β signaling pathway may be one of the major causes responsible for prostate volume reduction in BPH rats after cetrorelix treatment.