Fig. 9.
Schema of GC regulation of plasmin, TGF-β1 , and the resulting enhancement of KS growth. The schema summarizes the inhibitory effects of GCs on the activation pathway of plasmin. GCs induce PAI-1, downregulate PAR, and thus block tPA-mediated activation of plasminogen to plasmin. Reduced levels of plasmin prevent activation of latent TGF-β to its active form and thus abolish the autocrine growth inhibitory effects on KS cells.
