Kayed et al. analyzed more thoroughly the role of GPC-1 in the TGF-β signaling, in which they found GPC-1 reduction led to a shifted response toward TGF-β, activin-A and the bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) upon p21 induction and Smad2 phosphorylation, resulting in inhibited pancreatic cancer cell growth (38). This evidence concerns the gene GPC1 and familial pancreatic carcinoma.