DMMC Course: MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY IN ACTION

1110-1230 Monday 31 January 2005. Conway Institute Lecture Theatre, UCD

TGF-beta signalling Dr Madeline Murphy, UCD

Transforming growth factor-beta regulates cell function, and plays key roles in development, disease and carcinogenesis. TGF-beta signals through transmembrane receptor serine/threonine kinases to activate novel signalling intermediates called Smad proteins, which modulate the transcription of target genes. Many different proteins have been reported to interact with different combinations of Smads at all levels on the signal transduction pathway, thereby modulating responses to TGF-beta. TGF-beta has been shown to mediate virtually all the pathological changes of diabetic nephropathy. Our research focuses on this critical pathway and its contribution to disease in the diabetic kidney.