TGF-β and inhibitory smads in inflammation

TGF-β is a multifunctional cytokine involved in diverse cellular functions, including cell growth, apoptosis, and immune responses, although its effect is likely to be dependent on cell context. Among a variety of cellular functions exerted by TGF-β, recent advances emphasize the importance of TGF-β and its signaling pathway in innate immunity and adaptive immunity. The typical examples of immune regulations by TGF-β include suppreβion of toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling which recognizes the invading pathogens and T cell differentiations such as Th17 and Treg. In particular, much attention has been paid to anti-inflammatory function of TGF-β, which is mediated by the inhibitory Smads, Smad6 and Smad7. In this review, we mainly discuβ the anti-inflammatory role of TGF-β suppreβing inflammatory responses and the underlying mechanism mediated by the inhibitory Smads.