Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) induces a pleiotropic pathway that is modulated by the cellular context and its integration with other signaling pathways. In cancer, the pleiotropic reaction to TGF-β leads to a diverse and varied set of gene responses that range from cytostatic and apoptotic tumor-suppressive ones in early stage tumors, to proliferative, invasive, angiogenic, and oncogenic ones in advanced cancer. Here, we review the knowledge accumulated about the molecular mechanisms involved in the dual response to TGF-β in cancer, and how tumor cells evolve to evade the tumor-suppressive responses of this signaling pathway and then hijack the signal, converting it into an oncogenic factor. Only through the detailed study of this complexity can the suitability of the TGF-β pathway as a therapeutic target against cancer be evaluated.

中文翻译：

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TGF-β家族信号传导在肿瘤抑制和癌症进展中的作用。

转化生长因子-β（TGF-β）诱导了多效性途径，该途径受细胞环境及其与其他信号传导途径的整合调控。在癌症中，对TGF-β的多效反应导致了多种多样的基因反应，范围从早期肿瘤的细胞生长抑制和凋亡性肿瘤抑制到晚期癌症的增生性，浸润性，血管生成性和致癌性。在这里，我们回顾了有关癌症中对TGF-β双重反应涉及的分子机制的知识，以及肿瘤细胞如何进化以逃避该信号通路的肿瘤抑制反应，然后劫持该信号，将其转化为致癌物因子。只有通过对这种复杂性的详细研究，才能评估TGF-β途径作为抗癌治疗靶点的适用性。