title: The harmonies played by TGF-β in stem cell biology.
abstract: To rejuvenate tissues and/or repair wounds, stem cells must receive extrinsic signals from their surrounding environment and integrate them with their intrinsic abilities to self-renew and differentiate to make tissues. Increasing evidence suggests that the superfamily of transforming growth factor-βs (TGF-βs) constitute integral components in the intercellular crosstalk between stem cells and their microenvironment. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of TGF-β superfamily functions in embryonic and adult stem cells. We discuss how these pathways help to define the physiological environment where stem cells reside, and how perturbations in the signaling circuitry contribute to cancers.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oshimori
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fuchs
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D009928:Organ Specificity; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta