File:TGF-beta signaling pathway.jpg

Basic overview of TGF-β signalling pathway

1. Binding of a ligand to a Type II receptor initiates signaling.
2. The sequestering of a Type I receptor results in the activation of a Receptor-Smad (Smad1/5, Smad2/3).
3. Together with the Co-Smad (Smad4), this complex enters the nucleus and activates the transcription of target genes.

The pathway can be inhibited by extracelluar antagonists, or intracellularly via Inhibitor-Smad (Smad6/7) or the ubiquitin ligase SMURF.

Original file name: Figure 1. Journal.pone.0024152.g001.jpg dpi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024152.g001

Reference

Pang K, Ryan JF, Baxevanis AD, Martindale MQ (2011) Evolution of the TGF-β Signaling Pathway and Its Potential Role in the Ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi. PLoS ONE 6(9): e24152. PLoS ONE

© 2011 Pang et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.