Epigenetic regulation of Smad2 and Smad3 by profilin-2 promotes lung cancer growth and metastasis.

Altered transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signalling has been implicated in tumour development and progression. However, the molecular mechanism behind this alteration is poorly understood. Here we show that profilin-2 (Pfn2) increases Smad2 and Smad3 expression via an epigenetic mechanism, and that profilin-2 and Smad expression correlate with an unfavourable prognosis of lung cancer patients.