Fig. 1.

TGF-β as regulator of EMTs in different contexts. TGF-β triggers EMTs in the context of complex developmental, regenerative, and pathological processes that also involve profound changes in cell proliferation, differentiation, position, and extracellular matrix remodeling. In developmental contexts such as gastrulation, EMT driven by Nodal TGF-β signaling occurs together with mesendodermal cell differentiation. In regenerative contexts such as wound healing and their derivative pathologies –fibrosis and cancer–TGF-β driven EMT occurs alongside fibrogenic effects that remodels the extracellular matrix. Other signals converge with TGF-β on the regulation of EMT. RAS signaling is a particularly powerful collaborating signal in TGF-β induction of EMTs in diverse contexts.