TGF-Beta Signaling in Tissue Fibrosis and Cancer

Dear Colleagues,

TGF-β is a major contributor to fibrotic and neoplastic diseases in both humans and animals. Although this pleiotropic cytokine promotes epithelial cell plasticity/dedifferentiation/pEMT, cellular stemness, migration/invasion, and stimulates acquisition of a profibrotic phenotype within the tumor microenvironment (i.e., myofibroblasts and cancer-associated fibroblasts/CAFs), translation of emerging knowledge to successfully target TGF-β1 remains an unrealized clinical challenge. This Topical Collection welcomes original research articles as well as state-of-the-art reviews that address the following topics to further our understanding of the mechanistic and pathological basis of TGF-β involvement in organ fibrosis and cancer.

1. TGF-β-mediated transcriptional (both SMAD and non-SMAD) networks, genetic reprogramming, and phenotypic responses (e.g., cell plasticity/stemness, cell cycle arrest, proliferation, migration) related to the onset or progression of fibrotic and neoplastic diseases.
2. Non-transcriptional (e.g., microRNA, lncRNA, epigenetic) control of TGF-β1 signaling.
3. TGF-β crosstalk with other receptors (e.g., tyrosine kinases and serine/threonine kinases) or tumor suppressors (e.g., p53, PTEN) in promoting or suppressing fibrotic and oncogenic behavior.
4. Novel positive (e.g., inducers) and negative regulators (e.g., suppressors) of TGF-β1 pathways.
5. Novel or potential therapeutic approaches (TGF-β ligand traps and neutralizing antibodies, signaling networks, or TGF-β collateral networks) to target aberrant TGF-β signaling in organ fibrosis and cancer.
6. TGF-β1-induced metabolic alterations (e.g., glycolysis, Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid oxidation) in tissue fibrosis and cancer.
7. TGF-β1 control of inflammatory networks.
8. Tissue or organ specificity of TGF-signaling.
9. Evaluation of TGF-β1 signal transducers as biomarkers of cancer and fibrosis progression in animal models and humans.

Prof. Paul J. Higgins
Dr. Rohan Samarakoon
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.