Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family members, including TGF-βs and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), play important roles in directing the fate of stem cells. In embryonic stem cells, the TGF-β superfamily participates in almost all stages of cell development, such as cell maintenance, lineage selection, and progression of differentiation. In adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), TGF-βs can provide competence for early stages of chondroblastic and osteoblastic differentiation, but they inhibit myogenesis, adipogenesis, and late-stage osteoblast differentiation. BMPs also inhibit adipogenesis and myogenesis, but they strongly promote osteoblast differentiation. The TGF-β superfamily members signal via specific serine/threonine kinase receptors and their nuclear effectors termed Smad proteins as well as through non-Smad pathways, which explain their pleiotropic effects in self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the pleiotropic effects of the TGF-β superfamily of growth factors on the fate of stem cells and also discusses the mechanisms by which the TGF-β superfamily members control embryonic and MSCs differentiation.
About the authors
Dr. Juan F. Santibanez received his PhD from the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas “Alberto Sols” (IIBM), Spain in 1999, worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the “Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas, CIB”, Spain from 2003 to 2005. Dr. Santibanez was Research Associated (1991–1995), Instructor (-1999) and Assistant Professor (-2008) at the Laboratory for Cellular Research, INTA, Universidad de Chile. He is currently a Professor of Research at the Institute for Medical Research, IMI, Belgrade, Serbia. His major research area is the role of TGF-β in tumor progression and in endothelial cells, and recently has become interested in mesenchymal stem cells biology.
Jelena Kocic graduated from the University of Belgrade, Serbia in 2007 with Bachelor’s degree in Biology and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Biology. She is a Research Associate at the Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Her scientific interests include research of signaling pathways activated by TGF-β during epithelial-mesenchymal transition, as well as isolation and characterization of adult stem cells and research of IL-17 signaling activated during stem cell differentiation.
©2012 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
