title: Stromal Modulators of TGF-β in Cancer.
abstract: Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is an intriguing cytokine exhibiting dual activities in malignant disease. It is an important mediator of cancer invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis, on the one hand, while it exhibits anti-tumor functions on the other hand. Elucidating the precise role of TGF-β in malignant development and progression requires a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in its tumor suppressor to tumor promoter switch. One important aspect of TGF-β function is its interaction with proteins within the tumor microenvironment. Several stromal proteins have the natural ability to interact and modulate TGF-β function. Understanding the complex interplay between the TGF-β signaling network and these stromal proteins may provide greater insight into the development of novel therapeutic strategies that target the TGF-β axis. The present review highlights our present understanding of how stroma modulates TGF-β activity in human cancers.
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Laboratory, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium. brunellacostanza@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Brunella
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Costanza
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Laboratory, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium. iumelo@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Ijeoma Adaku
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Umelo
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Laboratory, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium. justine.bellier@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bellier
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Laboratory, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium. vcastronovo@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Castronovo
authors.affiliation: Metastasis Research Laboratory, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium. andrei.turtoi@inserm.fr.|Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier (IRCM), INSERM U1194, Université Montpellier, Institut Régional du Cancer de Montpellier, 34298 Montpellier, France. andrei.turtoi@inserm.fr.
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turtoi
keywords: TGF-β; cancer-associated fibroblasts; proteases; proteoglycans; stroma