Non-Transcriptional Mechanisms of PEAK1 Action During TGFbeta-Induced EMT

Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGFbeta) is a secreted protein and the first member of the TGFbeta superfamily of ligands to be described. However, the molecular mechanisms that govern TGFbeta's ability to switch between its paradoxical growth suppressing and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) promoting functions remain to be fully elucidated. Since TGFbeta elicits pleiotropic functions during normal development, adul...

Role of Slit molecules in neural crest delamination

The neural crest provides a unique population of migratory stem cells with which to study a variety of cell and neural developmental processes. Neural crest cells emerge from the neuroepithelium in development and transform into a mesenchymal/migratory population. Several inhibitory molecules have been shown to play important roles in neural crest migration including the chemorepulsive molecules Slit 1-3. Slit molecules were initially discovered...

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of PEAK1-Mediated TGFbeta Signaling and Function

Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) has well-established roles in regulating both normal physiological and pathophysiological processes. The multi-faceted effects of TGFbeta are commonly mediated by both canonical Smad2/3 signaling and a variety of non-canonical signaling pathways. While TGFbeta signaling is essential during embryogenesis and tissue homeostasis, its dysregulation can lead to aberrant fibrosis...