Affiliation:
1. Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
Abstract
Members of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family have been implicated in the biology of several cancers. In this review, we focus on the role of TGFβ and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling in glioblastoma. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults; it presents at a median age of 64 years, but can occur at any age, including childhood. Unfortunately, there is no cure, and even patients undergoing current treatments (surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy) have a median survival of 15 months. There is a great need to identify new therapeutic targets to improve the treatment of GBM patients. TGF-βs signaling promotes tumorigenesis in glioblastoma, while BMPs suppress tumorigenic potential by inducing tumor cell differentiation. In this review, we discuss the actions of TGF-βs and BMPs on cancer cells as well as in the tumor microenvironment, and their use in potential therapeutic intervention.
Funder
Magnus Bergvalls Stiftelse
Lars Hierta Memorial Foundation
O. E. och Edla Johanssons Vetenskapliga Stiftelse
Subject
Inorganic Chemistry,Organic Chemistry,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry,Computer Science Applications,Spectroscopy,Molecular Biology,General Medicine,Catalysis