Archived Seminar: Control of TGF-beta Signaling and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar presented by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Archived Seminar: Control of TGF-beta Signaling and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Date: Apr. 30, 2021
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
About This Lecture
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a normal differentiation process during development that enables epithelial cells to partially or completely repress epithelial junctions and reprogram gene expression, resulting in more motile and often more invasive cell behavior. EMT, which is generally thought of as a reversible process, allows the cells to reach new destinations and generate new cell populations. EMT is also repurposed pathologically during fibrosis and cancer progression, and allows carcinoma cells to disseminate, while additionally enabling the cells to acquire stem cell characteristics and cancer drug resistance. Studying the activities and signaling pathways of a secreted growth factor and cytokine, named transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), it was shown a long time ago that TGF-beta can induce EMT. Consistent with this notion and its known activities, increased TGF-beta signaling is now seen as a driver of fibrosis and cancer dissemination that leads to metastasis. Dr. Dernyck's research highlights the cooperation of two signaling pathways, Smad signaling and Akt-mTOR signaling, in the progression and completion of EMT, and illustrates that prolonged exposure of cancer cells stabilizes EMT, which stands in contrast to the general notion that EMT is always reversible. When compared to reversible EMT, stabilized EMT has increased stem cell properties and cancer stem cell properties that depend on mTOR signaling. The recognition of the roles of EMT in fibrosis and cancer, and the key role of TGF-beta as driver of the EMT process allow for therapeutic opportunities.
Additional Details
This is a free event hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and co-sponsored by the institute's Cancer Research Group. The Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series, which runs annually from September to May, has featured leading biomedical researchers from throughout the country since the program began in 2012. Presented virtually via Zoom primarily for research and clinical audiences, the lectures are also open to all members of the Virginia Tech community including graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, and staff, as well as the public.
You May Also Be Interested In...
-
Home ItemSudden Cardiac Arrest in the Young: The Case of ARVC , home
Oct. 18, 2024, 11:00 a.m. | Mario Delmar, M.D., Ph.D., Endowed Professor of Medicine, Patricia and Robert Martinsen Professor of Cardiology, Leon H Charney Division of Cardiology, New York University School of Medicine | Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar, Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Vascular and Heart Research
-
Home ItemHarnessing Interoception: Innovative Approaches for Psychiatric Assessment and Intervention , home
Oct. 25, 2024, 11:00 a.m. | Sahib Khalsa, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Louis Jolyon West Innovation Chair, Director of Anxiety Disorders Research, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles| Co-Sponsored by the Center for Health Behaviors Research and the Addiction Recovery Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
-
Home ItemClinical Applications of Cancer Genetics , home
Nov. 21, 2024, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Luis Diaz, Jr., M.D., Head, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Member, National Academy of Medicine | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
-
Home ItemA Ribocentric View of Muscle Proteostasis in Health and Disease: Novel Mechanisms Potential Therapeutic Opportunities , home
Nov. 22, 2024, 11:00 a.m. | Gustavo A. Nader, Ph.D., FAPS, Professor, College of Health and Human Development; Chair, Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology; Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences; The Pennsylvania State University | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Exercise Medicine Research
-
Home ItemHuman Laboratory Evaluation of Cannabis Products , home
Dec. 13, 2024, 11:00 a.m. | Ryan Vandrey, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Health Behaviors Research and the Addiction Recovery Research Center
Rik Derynck, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Cell/Tissue Biology, and Department of Anatomy; Co-Director, UCSF Institute of Regeneration Medicine; Co-Director, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco