Dynamics of TGF-β/Smad signaling

The physiological responses to TGF-beta stimulation are diverse and vary amongst different cell types and environmental conditions. Even though the principal molecular components of the canonical and the non-canonical TGF-beta signaling pathways have been largely identified, the mechanism that underlies the well-established context dependent physiological responses remains a mystery. Understanding how the components of TGF-beta signaling function as a system and how this system functions in the context of the global cellular regulatory network requires a more quantitative and systematic approach. Here, we review the recent progress in understanding TGF-beta biology using integration of mathematical modeling and quantitative experimental analysis. These studies reveal many interesting dynamics of TGF-beta signaling and how cells quantitatively decode variable doses of TGF-beta stimulation. (C) 2012 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.