Yamaguchi Y
La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation.
Nihon Rinsho. 1992 Aug;50(8):1932-8.
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a multifunctional peptide growth factor widely distributed in vertebrates and represents a prototype of a large family of structurally related factors that regulate various cellular functions, ranging from amphibian embryonal development to hormone production in the human pituitary. TGF-beta is a disulfide-bonded homodimer of a subunit of 12.5 kD that is derived from a much larger precursor. The amino acid sequences of TGF-betas are highly conserved among species, suggesting their physiological importance. TGF-beta was originally isolated from human platelets as a factor that induces anchorage-independent growth of normal fibroblasts. However, later studies have revealed that its major biological activities include inhibition of cell proliferation, and regulation of differentiation, cell adhesion and extracellular matrix deposition. There are three types of cellular receptors that bind TGF-beta. Type II receptor, of which cDNA was recently cloned, is a functional serine/threonine kinase and is thought to be involved in the TGF-beta-mediated signal transduction pathway. The importance of TGF-beta in clinical medicine will increase not only as it is a promising therapeutic drug, but also as its excessive activity can be the cause of various human fibrotic diseases.
转化生长因子-β（TGF-β）是一种广泛分布于脊椎动物体内的多功能肽生长因子，是一大类结构相关因子的原型，这些因子调节各种细胞功能，从两栖动物胚胎发育到人类垂体中的激素产生。TGF-β是一种由12.5 kD亚基通过二硫键连接而成的同二聚体，该亚基来源于一个大得多的前体。TGF-β的氨基酸序列在物种间高度保守，表明其具有生理重要性。TGF-β最初是从人血小板中分离出来的，作为一种诱导正常成纤维细胞非锚定依赖性生长的因子。然而，后来的研究表明，其主要生物学活性包括抑制细胞增殖以及调节分化、细胞黏附和细胞外基质沉积。有三种类型的细胞受体可结合TGF-β。II型受体的cDNA最近已被克隆，它是一种功能性丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶，被认为参与TGF-β介导的信号转导途径。TGF-β在临床医学中的重要性将会增加，这不仅是因为它是一种有前景的治疗药物，还因为其过度活性可能是导致各种人类纤维化疾病的原因。
