The inhibitor role of IRS-1 on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition

The research group led by Jianguo Song at IBCB of SIBS recently found a novel biological function of IRS-1. The results were published in Cancer Research of Sep 15th, which was available online.

 

EMT (Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition) is a process that is implicated in embryonic development, wound repair, and fibrotic diseases, tumor invasion and metastasis. Studies in this filed are important for understanding the underlying mechanisms of some patho-physiological events, and can contribute to the establishment of effective new strategy and method for the treatment of relevant of diseases. The research group of Jianguo Song observed that TGF-β1 (transforming growth factor-b1)-induced EMT is accompanied with a decrease in the levels of tyrosine phosphorylation and the protein molecules of IRS-1. The results showed that high IRS-1 protein levels played an important part in the suppression of TGF-b1-induced EMT and in maintaining the epithelial phenotype of cells. Their work also showed that IRS-1 suppresses TGF-β1-induced EMT through a mechanism involving the modulation of the expression of snail and slug. The studies are helpful for better understanding of the TGF-β1 signaling and the biological functions of IRS-1.