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Review
. 2016 Jun 22;4(2):21.
doi: 10.3390/jdb4020021.

Signalling by Transforming Growth Factor Beta Isoforms in Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration

Richard W D Gilbert  1 , Matthew K Vickaryous  2 , Alicia M Viloria-Petit  3
Affiliations
Review

Signalling by Transforming Growth Factor Beta Isoforms in Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration

Richard W D Gilbert et al. J Dev Biol. .

Abstract

Transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) signalling is essential for wound healing, including both non-specific scar formation and tissue-specific regeneration. Specific TGFβ isoforms and downstream mediators of canonical and non-canonical signalling play different roles in each of these processes. Here we review the role of TGFβ signalling during tissue repair, with a particular focus on the prototypic isoforms TGFβ1, TGFβ2, and TGFβ3. We begin by introducing TGFβ signalling and then discuss the role of these growth factors and their key downstream signalling mediators in determining the balance between scar formation and tissue regeneration. Next we discuss examples of the pleiotropic roles of TGFβ ligands during cutaneous wound healing and blastema-mediated regeneration, and how inhibition of the canonical signalling pathway (using small molecule inhibitors) blocks regeneration. Finally, we review various TGFβ-targeting therapeutic strategies that hold promise for enhancing tissue repair.

Keywords: TGFβ; isoforms; tissue regeneration; transforming growth factor beta; wound healing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
TGFβ isoforms in cutaneous wound healing. TGFβ1, TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 play central roles in all three phases of wound healing. Generally, TGFβ1 and TGFβ2 are stimulatory, while TGFβ3 is inhibitory. However, TGFβ3 can also stimulate specific processes (e.g., re-epithelialization). Green arrow: stimulatory; continuous red line: inhibitory; dashed red line: potentially inhibitory, inferred from relative levels at the beginning (low) and end (high) of the hemostasis and inflammation phase.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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