The effects of these agents on expression of the mRNAs for TGF-beta 2 and TGF-beta 3 were more complex; while TGF-beta 2 and TGF-beta 3 mRNAs increased transiently in response to TGF-beta 1 in NHBE cells and TGF-beta 3 mRNA increased transiently in some NSCLC cells, expression of these mRNAs decreased in most of these cells in response to PMA with the exception of the carcinoid NCI-H727 where TGF-beta 2 mRNA increased dramatically, TGF-beta 1 and PMA both caused a persistent increase in expression of the mRNAs for both plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and plasminogen activator (PA) up to 24 hr in most NSCLC cells, with the increase in PAI-1 mRNA beginning several hours before that of PA mRNA.