Cited by 505TGF-β signaling in diseasesCancer Cells and MetastasisMechanisms of cancer metastasis

TGF-β2 dictates disseminated tumour cell fate in target organs through TGF-β-RIII and p38α/β signalling

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Bragado, Paloma, Estrada, Yeriel, Parikh, Falguni, Krause, Sarah, Capobianco, Carla, Farina, Hernan G., Schewe, Denis M., Aguirre-Ghiso, Julio A.·2013·Nature Cell Biology

Abstract

In patients, non-proliferative disseminated tumour cells (DTCs) can persist in the bone marrow (BM) while other organs (such as lung) present growing metastasis. This suggested that the BM might be a metastasis 'restrictive soil' by encoding dormancy-inducing cues in DTCs. Here we show in a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) model that strong and specific transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) signalling in the BM activates the MAPK p38α/β, inducing an (ERK/p38)(low) signalling ratio. This results in induction of DEC2/SHARP1 and p27, downregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and dormancy of malignant DTCs. TGF-β2-induced dormancy required TGF-β receptor-I (TGF-β-RI), TGF-β-RIII and SMAD1/5 activation to induce p27. In lungs, a metastasis 'permissive soil' with low TGF-β2 levels, DTC dormancy was short-lived and followed by metastatic growth. Importantly, systemic inhibition of TGF-β-RI or p38α/β activities awakened dormant DTCs, fuelling multi-organ metastasis. Our work reveals a 'seed and soil' mechanism where TGF-β2 and TGF-β-RIII signalling through p38α/β regulates DTC dormancy and defines restrictive (BM) and permissive (lung) microenvironments for HNSCC metastasis.

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Authors
Bragado, P., Estrada, Y., Parikh, F., Krause, S., Capobianco, C., Farina, H. G., Schewe, D. M., & Aguirre-Ghiso, J. A.
Affiliations
  • Tisch Cancer Institute (US)
  • University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (DE)
  • National University of Quilmes (AR)
Venue
Nature Cell Biology
Published
2013-10-27
Volume
15
Issue
11
Pages
1351-1361
ISSN
  • 1465-7392 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4679
OpenAlex
W2163472474
Cited by
503
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 36 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 75 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 18
FWCI
10.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Cell Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Americanae (AECID Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
Funders
  • New York State Stem Cell Science
  • Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
  • Deutsche Krebshilfe
  • National Cancer Institute (CA109182, U54CA163131, CA163131, R01CA109182)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R21ES017146, ES017146)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › TGF-β signaling in diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Cells and Metastasis
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Mechanisms of cancer metastasis
Keywords
disseminated tumor cells, TGF-beta2, p38 MAPK, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, tumor dormancy, bone marrow microenvironment, lung metastasis, seed and soil hypothesis, Smad1/5, p27, CDK4
MeSH terms
Animals, Enzyme Activation, Mice, Nude, Neoplasms, Experimental, Proteoglycans, Signal Transduction, Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta, Cell Lineage, p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases, Mice, Transforming Growth Factor beta2, Tumor Microenvironment

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