ArticlePloS one2017
TGF-β contamination of purified recombinant GDF15.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A systematic review of the neuroprotective role and biomarker potential of GDF15 in neurodegeneration.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Pooled it
- AAV-NRF2 protects retinal and choroidal vasculature in a GDF15-dependent manner in an oxidative damage model of AMD.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Targeting the CAF-GDF15 axis attenuates AKT-mediated mitochondrial rewiring and chemoradiation resistance in esophageal adenocarcinoma.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2026Article
- Growth Differentiation Factor-15 in Diabetic Kidney and Cardiovascular Disease: Pathogenic Driver or Protective Modulator.Diabetes · 2026Review
- Gdf15 expression in thermogenic adipocytes regulates diet-induced weight gain in a sex-dependent manner.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2026Article
- GDF-15 Levels in Cirrhosis Are Linked to Hepatic Fibrogenesis, Bacterial Translocation, and Worse Clinical Outcomes.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026Article
- Immunomodulatory functions of growth differentiation factor 15 in skin aging and inflammatory dermatoses.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- GDF15 as a sentinel of metabolic integrity: a narrative review of stress signaling, multisystem pathophysiology, and therapeutic potential.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Growth/Differentiation Factor 15 Promotes a Pro-Regenerative Response in Chondrocytes Upon Cartilage Injury.MedComm · 2025Article
- Growth differentiation factor 15 alters intestinal barrier and increases permeability: A new molecular target in inflammatory bowel disease.World journal of gastroenterology · 2025Article
- GDF15: An emerging disease target and biomarker of metabolic diseases.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2025Review
- Long-Term Intestinal Epithelial Remodeling Induced by Acute Protein-Energy Malnutrition.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Cardiac adaptation to endurance exercise training requires suppression of GDF15 via PGC-1α.Nature cardiovascular research · 2025Article
- Metabolic Messenger: growth differentiation factor 15.Nature metabolism · 2025Review
- Acute regulation of murine adipose tissue lipolysis and insulin resistance by the TGFβ superfamily protein GDF3.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Proximate and ultimate causes of pregnancy sickness.Evolution, medicine, and public health · 2025Review
- GDF15 is required for maintaining subcutaneous adipose tissue lipid metabolic signature.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The MondoA-dependent TXNIP/GDF15 axis predicts oxaliplatin response in colorectal adenocarcinomas.EMBO molecular medicine · 2024Article
- Macrophages as a Source and Target of GDF-15.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- TGFβ signalling: a nexus between inflammation, placental health and preeclampsia throughout pregnancy.Human reproduction update · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purified recombinant proteins for use in biomedical research are invaluable to investigate protein function. However, purity varies in protein batches made in mammalian expression systems, such as CHO-cells or HEK293-cells. This study points to caution while investigating effects of proteins related to the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily. TGF-β itself is a very potent cytokine and has effects on cells in the femtomolar range. Thus, even very small amounts of contaminating TGF-β in purified protein batches may influence the experimental results given that receptors for TGF-β are present. When we attempted to characterize possible receptors for the TGF-β superfamily ligand GDF15, striking similarities between GDF15-induced activities and known TGF-β activities were found. However, differences between batches of GDF15 were a concern and finally led us to the conclusion that the measured effects were caused by TGF-β and not by GDF15. Our results emphasize that purified recombinant proteins must be used with caution and warrant proper controls. Notably, some conclusions made about GDF15 in already published papers may not be supported by the results shown. Awareness about this issue in the scientific community may prevent spreading of false positive results.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.