Abstract:
The TGF- β signaling pathway plays a crucial role in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. This pathway exerts either tumor-suppressing or tumor-promoting effects, which are cell- or context-dependent, making it simultaneously advanta -geous and disadvantageous in the process of carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) do not encode proteins, but they are involved in the regulation of various signaling pathways and biological functions. Moreover, lncRNAs can induce tumor angiogenesis, as well as affect tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis by acting as oncogenes or tumor-suppressor genes. Recent studies revealed that some lncRNAs may be induced and regulated by TGF- β to form a complicated crosslinked regulatory net work. This review focuses on the crosstalk between the TGF-β signaling pathway and TGF-β -induced lncRNAs.