RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Vitamin D and Myofibroblasts in Fibrosis and Cancer: At Cross-purposes with TGF-β/SMAD Signaling JF Anticancer Research JO Anticancer Res FD International Institute of Anticancer Research SP 6225 OP 6234 VO 36 IS 12 A1 SHANY, SHRAGA A1 SIGAL-BATIKOFF, INA A1 LAMPRECHT, SERGIO YR 2016 UL http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/36/12/6225.abstract AB The multifaceted involvement of the active vitamin D metabolite 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (henceforth referred to by the synonyms 1,25(OH)2D3, calcitriol or vitamin D) in blunting the growth of cancer cells is amply recognized. In this review we focused our attention on the cross-talk between 1,25 (OH)2D3 and the tumor microenvironment (TME), signaling out stromal cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the most abundant TME population, as a target for calcitriol anticancer action. In view of the commonality of the phenotypic signature in myofibroblasts, resident in the cancer stroma and in non-neoplastic fibrotic loci, we examined modes of action of vitamin D in non-neoplastic chronic diseases and in cancer to assess mechanistic similarities and divergences. A constant observation was that 1,25(OH)2D3 or synthetic ligands via the active vitamin D receptor (VDR) impede transforming growth factor (TGF)-β/mothers against decapentaplegic homologs (SMADs) signaling in myofibroblasts regardless of the initiating insult. The translational impact of 1,25(OH)2D3 in targetting stromal CAFs is discussed.