Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling in Immunity and Cancer

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta is a crucial enforcer of immune homeostas's -Ind tolerance, inhibiting the expansion and function of many components of the immune system. Perturbations in TGF-beta signaling under-lie inflammatory diseases and promote tumor emergence. TGF-beta is also central to immune suppression within the tumor microenvironment, and recent studies have revealed roles in tumor immune evasion and poor responses to cancer immunotherapy. Here, we present an overview of the complex biology of the TGF-beta family and its context-dependent nature. Then, focusing on cancer, we discuss the roles of TGF-beta signaling in distinct immune cell types and how this knowledge is being leveraged to unleash the immune system against the tumor.