Transforming growth factor beta's (TGF beta's) were originally discovered due to their ability to promote anchorage-independent growth of rat NRK fibroblasts in the presence of TGFalpha. It is now realized that TGF beta's mediate many cell-cell interactions that occur during embryonic development. Three TGF beta's have been identified in mammals. TGFB1, TGFB2 and TGFB3 are each synthesized as precursor proteins that are very similar in that each is cleaved to yield a 112 amino acid polypeptide that remains associated with the latent portion of the molecules. Biologically active TGF beta requires dimerization of the monomers (usually homodimers) and release of the latent peptide portion. Overall, the mature region of the TGFB3 protein has approximately 80 % identity to the mature region of both TGFB1 and TGFB2. However, the NH2 terminals or precursor regions of their molecules share only 27 % sequence identity.Synonyms: BSC-1 cell growth inhibitor, Cetermin, G-TSF, Glioblastoma-derived T-cell suppressor factor, Polyergin, Transforming growth factor beta-2