Topic: TGF-ß receptor signaling in disease
Speaker: Professor Peter ten Dijke, Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)
Date and time: 10:00, October 13
Venue: Auditorium, Y Building
Abstract:
Dysregulation of TGF-ß receptor signaling can lead to a plethora of diseases, including cancer, immune dysfunction, and fibrosis. Targeting TGF-ß receptor signaling has been challenging as next to its pathogenic role, it also has an important role in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Current TGF-ß receptor inhibitors suffer for on-target side effects. Several of our research lines aimed at identifying novel regulators to more specifically inhibit the TGF-β-induced pro-tumorigenic responses.
In this talk, Prof. Dijke will focus on: (1) TGF-ß receptor signaling in cancer progression and in particular the role of deubiquitinating enzyme and a long non-coding RNA as determinants of cancer cell plasticity and metastasis and (2) how a murine intestinal helminth evades host immune response by secreting a TGF-ß mimic (TGM1) that binds and activates TGF-ß receptor signaling. We found that TGM1 (next to TßRI and TßRII), interacts with a co-receptor that confers cell specificity. Learning from these molecular strategies adopted by the parasite is providing unexpected perspectives on how TGF- β signaling may be enhanced, modulated, or targeted for future (anti-cancer) therapeutic advantage.
Biography:
Peter ten Dijke received his Ph.D. degree in 1991 on his research that lead to the identification of the third isoform of TGF-ß performed at Oncogene Science, Inc., New York, USA. He did his postgraduate studies with Carl-Henrik Heldin at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Uppsala, Sweden. In 1994, he started his own group first at Ludwig Institute, then moved to Netherlands Cancer Institute and thereafter to Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands. He is currently a professor of molecular cell biology at Leiden University. He is a member of EMBO, European Academy and Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.