The projects focus on soluble growth regulatory factors, their functions, and mechanism of action. Extensive collaborations with two former group members, Kohei Miyazono in Tokyo and Peter ten Dijke in Amsterdam, are ongoing. Integrated Signaling Group TGF-beta family members regulate cell growth, differentiation, motility, and apoptosis. Led by Serhiy Souchelnytskyi, the group seeks to understand signaling by TGF-beta family members in normal and malignant cells, and its role in integrated intracellular signaling. These studies aim to elucidate the role of TGF-beta signaling in carcinogenesis, with particular emphasis on cross talk with oncogenes and tumor suppressors.
Proteomics is one of the tools used to explore the complexity of intracellular signaling networks.
The levels and activities of transcription factors are regulated in response to extracellular and intracellular cues, during development and under pathological conditions. Led by Johan Ericsson, the group seeks to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the transcriptional response to growth factors and metabolic signals, and to understand how this relates to the development of human disease. This involves the identification of phosphorylation sites in the receptors and in the downstream signaling molecules and studies on their function, as well as the identification of novel signaling molecules. The work includes studies on the mechanism of PDGF-induced receptor activation, the development of novel PDGF antagonists, and the application of PDGF antagonists in disease models. Counteracting the effects of tyrosine kinases, rPTPs are regulators of cell signaling and potential mediators of disease-associated dysregulated proliferation.