Cancer cells (top) exposed to TGF-β grow and elongate as they undergo EMT (bottom).
Cancer cells often enlarge and crank up protein synthesis, presumably to support their racing metabolism. Before they metastasize, the cells undergo a transformation known as the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). They reorganize their skeleton, stretch out, and break connections with their neighbors. After they've completed the transition, cells dissolve the extracellular matrix that restrains them and start spreading. EMT is prodded by increased expression of the cytokine TGF-β via the Smad pathway, which regulates gene transcription.
TGF-β also acts through a separate pathway that increases protein synthesis, the researchers found while studying cultured breast cancer cells. Dosing the...
