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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Mar 9.
Published in final edited form as: Dev Cell. 2015 Mar 9;32(5):640–651. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2015.01.011

Figure 7. Schematic Summary of TAZ and SMAD3 Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Shuttling in Response to Cell Density or TGF-β Stimulation in Non-Polarized or Polarized Cells at Low or High Density.

Figure 7

At low density (LD), TAZ (red) is nuclear and SMAD3 (green) is cytoplasmic. TGF-β receptors are distributed throughout the cell surface. In response to TGF-β, SMAD3 accumulates in the nucleus where TAZ is located. At high density (HD), TAZ is excluded from the nucleus, as a result of cell density sensing. In non-polarized cells, TGF-β induces SMAD3 nuclear accumulation, while TAZ remains cytoplasmic. In polarized cells (schematically represented with apical villi), apical delivery of TGF-β is without effect on SMAD localization because TβRs are exclusively basolateral and TGF-β access to its receptors is blocked by intercellular junctions.