"Smad"eningly erratic: target gene methylation determines whether TGFbeta promotes or suppresses malignant glioma

Dev Cell. 2007 Mar;12(3):324-5. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2007.02.008.

Abstract

TGFbeta functions as a tumor suppressor in some contexts and a tumor promoter in others. In a recent issue of Cancer Cell, Bruna et al. (2007) shed light on an epigenetic mechanism that underlies this schizophrenic behavior in malignant glioma. Their findings highlight a stem cell/cancer link...and a potential blind spot in large-scale cancer genome sequencing projects.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Brain Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Brain Neoplasms / physiopathology
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / genetics
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / metabolism
  • DNA Methylation*
  • Epigenesis, Genetic / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / genetics*
  • Glioma / genetics*
  • Glioma / metabolism
  • Glioma / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Smad Proteins / genetics*
  • Smad Proteins / metabolism
  • Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / genetics*
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism

Substances

  • Smad Proteins
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta