Intricacies of TGF-β signaling in Treg and Th17 cell biology

Balanced immunity is pivotal for health and homeostasis. CD4(+) helper T (Th) cells are central to the balance between immune tolerance and immune rejection. Th cells adopt distinct functions to maintain tolerance and clear pathogens. Dysregulation of Th cell function often leads to maladies, including autoimmunity, inflammatory disease, cancer, and infection. Regulatory T (Treg) and Th17 cells are critical Th cell types involved in immune tolerance, homeostasis, pathogenicity, and pathogen clearance. It is therefore critical to understand how Treg and Th17 cells are regulated in health and disease. Cytokines are instrumental in directing Treg and Th17 cell function. The evolutionarily conserved TGF-beta (transforming growth factor-beta) cytokine superfamily is of particular interest because it is central to the biology of both Treg cells that are predominantly immunosuppressive and Th17 cells that can be proinflammatory, pathogenic, and immune regulatory. How TGF-beta superfamily members and their intricate signaling pathways regulate Treg and Th17 cell function is a question that has been intensely investigated for two decades. Here, we introduce the fundamental biology of TGF-beta superfamily signaling, Treg cells, and Th17 cells and discuss in detail how the TGF-beta superfamily contributes to Treg and Th17 cell biology through complex yet ordered and cooperative signaling networks.