Transforming growth factor-β-like activity in tumors of the central nervous system

Abstract

✓ Transforming growth factor type β (TGF-β) is a ubiquitous peptide with wide-ranging regulatory functions. This paper reports the initial isolation of TGF-β activity from human glial and mesenchymally derived tumors and a human glial tumor cell line. While its physiological function at the molecular level is not yet defined, it is believed that this peptide plays a central role in the control of growth and transformation, with the exact role it plays being a function of the entire set of growth factors present in a given cell.