TGF-β Family Signaling in the Control of Cell Proliferation and Survival

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family controls many fundamental aspects of cellular behavior. With advances in the molecular details of the TGF-beta signaling cascade and its cross talk with other signaling pathways, we nowhave a more coherent understanding of the cytostatic program induced by TGF-beta. However, the molecular mechanisms are still largely elusive for other cellular processes that are regulated by TGF-beta and determine a cell's proliferation and survival, apoptosis, dormancy, autophagy, and senescence. The difficulty in defining TGF-beta's roles partly stems from the context-dependent nature of TGF-beta signaling. Here, we review our current understanding and recent progress on the biological effects of TGF-b at the cellular level, with the hope of providing a framework for understanding how cells respond to TGF-beta signals in specific contexts, and why disruption of such mechanisms may result in different human diseases including cancer.