Document Type

Editorial

Publication Date

2025

DOI

10.3389/fimmu.2025.1663433

Publication Title

Frontiers in Immunology

Volume

16

Pages

1663433

Abstract

[Introduction] The Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily, encompassing molecules such as TGFs, activins, Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs), Growth/Differentiation Factor (GDFs) and Nodals, represents the largest family of growth and differentiation factors, playing crucial roles in developmental and physiological processes across animal species (1). These molecules are integral to tissue homeostasis and cell fate determination. Among them, TGF-beta is particularly noted for its regulatory influence on immune responses and tissue fibrosis (2, 3). Recent research has expanded our understanding of the immune functions of other superfamily members, including activin A and BMPs (4). These molecules signal through receptor complexes composed of type I and II serine/threonine kinase receptors, which activate Smads and initiate transcription. The functional diversity of TGF-beta superfamily ligands is attributed to the varied combinations of receptor complexes and the interaction of Smads with numerous transcription factors and co-regulators (5). Despite growing evidence of their roles in immune responses, the involvement of these cytokines in diseases, especially infectious diseases, remains underexplored. This gap is partly due to the embryonic lethality of gene deletions and the challenges in detecting their roles through transcriptomic approaches (6). However, advancements in genetic technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9 and specific inhibitors, offer promising avenues to uncover novel functions of these molecules (7).

Rights

© 2025 Nieuwenhuizen, Eleftherianos, Kraj and Semitekolou.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original authors and the copyright owners are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Original Publication Citation

Nieuwenhuizen, N. E., Eleftherianos, I., Kraj, P. J., & Semitekolou, M. (2025). The role of TGF-beta superfamily members in immune homeostasis and disease. Frontiers in Immunology, 16, Article 1663433. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1663433

ORCID

0000-0003-2122-5105 (Kraj)

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