Regulation of TGF-Beta Signal Transduction Pathways in Breast Cancer

摘要

The goal of my studies under the BCRP fellowship is to understand the role of the Smad proteinS and the TGF-beta signal transduction pathways in breast cancer cell proliferation, tumor progression, and prognosis. In the past nine months, I have focused on identifying intracellular molecules and transcription factors that might be involved in the TGF-beta signal transduction pathway. Using both genetic and biochemical approaches, I have successfully isolated a few key molecules that are either mediator of the TGF-beta induced transcriptional response or suppressors of the TGF-beta signal pathways. Future studies will be focused on understanding the detail mechanism of how the molecules interplay in mediating TGF-beta signaling and the significance of these interactions in tumor cell proliferation, progression, and prognosis.