1. Neurobiol Dis. 2008 May;30(2):234-42. TGF-beta 1 protects against Abeta-neurotoxicity via the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase pathway. Caraci F, Battaglia G, Busceti C, Biagioni F, Mastroiacovo F, Bosco P, Drago F, Nicoletti F, Sortino MA, Copani A. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Catania, 95125, Catania, Italy. carafil@hotmail.com beta-Amyloid (A beta) injection into the rat dorsal hippocampus had a small neurotoxic effect that was amplified by i.c.v. injection of SB431542, a selective inhibitor of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) receptor. This suggested that TGF-beta acts as a factor limiting A beta toxicity. We examined the neuroprotective activity of TGF-beta1 in pure cultures of rat cortical neurons challenged with A beta. Neuronal death triggered by A beta is known to proceed along an aberrant re-activation of the cell cycle, and involves late beta-catenin degradation and tau hyperphosphorylation. TGF-beta1 was equally protective when added either in combination with, or 6 h after A beta. Co-added TGF-beta1 prevented A beta-induced cell cycle reactivation, whereas lately added TGF-beta1 had no effect on the cell cycle, but rescued the late beta-catenin degradation and tau hyperphosphorylation. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI-3-K) inhibitor, LY294402, abrogated all effects. Thus, TGF-beta1 blocks the whole cascade of events leading to A beta neurotoxicity by activating the PI-3-K pathway.