Increasing the response to TGF-β signals

Cell Biology TGF-β is a cytokine that binds to cell surface receptors and triggers the epithelial-to-mesenchyme transition. This process promotes pathological scarring known as fibrosis and contributes to cancer progression and metastasis. Budi et al. found that insulin, which is released in response to high glucose and used to treat diabetes, enhanced the trafficking of TGF-β receptors to the surface of mouse embryonic fibroblasts and epithelial cells. These results may help to explain why diabetics are prone to fibrosis and how hyperglycemia and insulin could enhance cancer progression and metastasis. Sci. Signal. 8 , ra96 (2015).