Concurrent Symposia Sessions

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Natcher Conference Center
Symposia Session II
Balcony B

TGF-β Superfamily Signaling in Health and Diseasee	10:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.

Co-Chairs: Lalage Wakefield, NCI and Sushil G. Rane, NIDDK

The TGF-β superfamily occupies a central position in the signaling circuits that control cell growth, differentiation, and death.  Seminal work has resulted in a deeper appreciation of the integration of TGF-β pathways into signaling networks at large and its disruption in human disorders.  Although TGF-β remains elusive in terms of our complete understanding of its multifunctional modes of action, its potential utility as a therapeutic target is promising.  This mini-symposium will discuss recent advances in our understanding of how TGF-β superfamily signals are regulated and the global ramifications when these signals go awry in diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.

Program:

Crossveinless-2 is a Short-range, Concentration-dependent, Biphasic Modulator of BMP Signaling in Drosophila
Mihaela Serpe, NICHD

Sending TGF-β Signal to MAP kinase Pathways via a Familiar Road
Ying Zhang, NCI

Nexus of TGF-β signaling with diabetes, obesity and the metabolic syndrome
Sushil G. Rane, NIDDK

New Tumor Suppressor Activities for TGF-β in Breast Cancer: Effects on the Putative Cancer Stem and Progenitor Cells
Binwu Tang, NCI

Blockade of TGF-β: Improvement of Tumor Immunity and Vaccine Efficacy
Masaki Terabe, NCI