Rho activation is required for transforming growth factor‐β‐induced epithelial‐mesenchymal transition in lens epithelial cells
Tóm tắt
Lens epithelial cells undergo epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) after injury as in cataract extraction, leading to fibrosis of the lens capsule. We have recently shown that TGF‐β‐induced EMT in lens epithelial cells depends on PI3 kinase/Akt signal pathway. In this report, we suggest Smad3 is necessary for TGF‐β‐induced EMT by showing that the expression of dominant‐negative Smad3 blocks the expression of α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) and morphological changes. We also show that TGF‐β induces a biphasic change in Rho activity, and that Y27632, a selective inhibitor of Rho effector ROCK, inhibits TGF‐β‐induced EMT