In conclusion, the TGFβ/Tβ4/MRTF/SRF pathway is critical for metastasis and tumor progression.<b>Implications:</b> These findings define a molecular mechanism underlying a tumor-promoting function of thymosin β4 through activation of MRTF/SRF signaling.<i></i>.
The genes for PFN1 and TMSB4 are both highly expressed in oral tissue and both encode actin monomer binding proteins thought to play a role in cell motility and possibly other crucial parts of tumor progression.
On the basis of these data, the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition could represent the unifying process that explains the role of Tβ4 during fetal development and in cancer progression.
To test the hypothesis that overexpression of this G-actin sequestering peptide also promotes tumor invasion, we examined not only the invasion capability of Tbeta-4-overexpressing SW480 cells, but also the expression levels of Tbeta-4 as well as several proteins that participate in different stages of tumor progression in matched samples of human primary colorectal adenocarcinoma and liver metastases from several patients.