Modularized Smad-regulated TGFβ signaling pathway.
The transforming Growth Factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathway is a prominent regulatory signaling pathway controlling various important cellular processes. TGFβ signaling can be induced by several factors including ionizing radiation. The pathway is regulated in a negative feedback loop through promoting the nuclear import of the regulatory Smads and a subsequent expression of inhibitory Smad7, that forms ubiquitin ligase with Smurf2, targeting active TGFβ receptors for degradation. In this work, we proposed a mathematical model to study the Smad-regulated TGFβ signaling pathway. By modularization, we are able to analyze mathematically each component subsystem and recover the nonlinear dynamics of the entire network system. Meanwhile the excitability, a common feature observed in the biological systems, in the TGFβ signaling pathway is discussed and supported as well by numerical simulation, indicating the robustness of the model.
USRA, Division of Space Life Sciences, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
Yongfeng
Y
Li
Minli
M
Wang
Claudio
C
Carra
Francis A
FA
Cucinotta
D003198:Computer Simulation; D008954:Models, Biological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D051899:Smad2 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; D051899:Smad2 Protein; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta