Physiologische Chemie II, Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften der Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2009 Oct-Dec;20(5-6):367-77. doi: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2009.10.022.
The TGF-beta superfamily exhibits a feature making it distinct from many other growth factor families in that the inadequate number of ligands and receptors premises a high degree of promiscuity in ligand-receptor interaction. This highlights the importance of even small differences in affinities and specificities between different binding partners to maintain the broad spectrum of their well defined biological functions. Despite the promiscuous interactions recent data reveal differences in receptor recruitment, architectures of these assemblies and specific modulation by a multitude of extracellular as well as membrane-associated factors. These modulatory mechanisms might possibly add specificity towards defined biological functions despite the overlapping usage of receptors by various ligands.
TGF-β 超家族的一个显著特征是其配体和受体数量不足，这使得配体-受体相互作用具有高度的混杂性。这突出表明，即使在不同结合配偶体之间的亲和力和特异性方面存在微小差异，对于维持其广泛而明确的生物学功能也非常重要。尽管存在混杂相互作用，但最近的数据揭示了受体募集、这些复合物的结构以及多种细胞外和膜相关因子的特异性调节方面的差异。尽管各种配体都可以使用相同的受体，但这些调节机制可能会为特定的生物学功能增加特异性。
