Revisiting the regulatory roles of the TGF-β family of cytokines

TGF-beta family members are multipotent cytokines that are involved in many cellular processes, including cell differentiation, organ development, wound healing and immune regulation. TGF-beta has pleiotropic effects on adaptive immunity, especially in the regulation of CD4(+) T cell and B cell responses. Furthermore, identification of CD4(+) T cell subsets that produce TGF-beta 3 revealed unexpected roles of TGF-beta 3 in the control of adaptive immunity. In contrast to TGF-beta 1, which induces extensive fibrosis, TGF-beta 3 induces non-scarring wound healing and counteracts tissue fibrosis. Recent progress in the understanding of the activation mechanism of TGF-beta may enable us to develop novel biologic therapies based on advanced protein engineering. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.