The LIM protein zyxin modulates TGF-β1-induced cell migration

Introduction: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), the reversible phenotypic switching of epithelial to fibroblast-like cells, is an important process implicated in the development of fibrosis in several organs, including the lung. Enhanced TGF-β1 signalling contributes to lung fibrosis, a disease characterized by accumulation of activated (myo)fibroblasts and excessive extracellular matrix deposition. TGF-β1 is an important regulator of these processes. Recently, we have performed a Smad3 chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) screen in the alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) A549 cells and identified the L…