title: Differential proliferative response of fetal and adult human skin fibroblasts to transforming growth factor-beta.
abstract: Since pronounced differences exist between the fetal and adult repair processes, we studied the proliferative response of skin fibroblasts from these two stages to transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), a cytokine with a broad range of activities in tissue repair. Here, we present evidence that TGF-beta inhibits fetal human skin fibroblasts, while it is stimulatory for adult ones. This proliferative effect of TGF-beta was found to be concentration- dependent, but isoform-independent. Furthermore, even a transient exposure of the cells to this growth factor was sufficient to exert its stimulatory or inhibitory action. Accordingly, we have studied the immediate responses provoked by TGF-beta in major signaling pathways, and we have found that it induces a rapid activation of the SMAD pathway, i.e., phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of SMAD2, followed by dephosphorylation, most probably due to degradation by the proteasome. However, similar intensity and kinetics of this activation have been observed in both fetal and adult fibroblasts. On the other hand, curcumin, a natural product with wound healing properties that inhibits several intracellular signaling pathways, was found to completely abrogate the inhibitory effect of TGF-beta1 on human fetal skin fibroblasts, without affecting the stimulatory action on fibroblasts from adult donors. In conclusion, there is a major radical in the proliferative response of fetal and adult human skin fibroblasts to TGF-beta, possibly reflecting the different repair strategies followed in these two stages of development.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Aging, Institute of Biology, National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, 153 10 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Harris
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pratsinis
authors.forename: Christina C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Giannouli
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zervolea
authors.forename: Stelios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Psarras
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stathakos
authors.forename: Dimitris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kletsas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D051785:Smad Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051785:Smad Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta