TGFB1 and diabetic kidney disease: Angiotensin II increases bFGF and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (25); bFGF and TGF-β (acting separately or coordinately) promote several of the key cellular processes underlying glomerulosclerosis and/or tubulointerstitial fibrosis, which are thought to underlie declining renal function in diabetic nephropathy (20, 26–28).