TGF-ß regulation of encephalitogenic and regulatory T cells in multiple sclerosis.

ABSTRACT

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) is a pleiotropic cytokine that has been shown to influence the differentiation and function of T cells. The role that TGF-ß plays in immune-mediated disease, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), has become a major area of investigation since CD4+ T cells appear to be a major mediator of autoimmunity. This review provides an analysis of the literature on the role that TGF-ß plays in the generation and regulation of encephalitogenic and regulatory T cells (Treg) in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS, as well as in T cells of MS patients. Since TGF-ß plays a major role in the development and function of both CD4+ effector and Treg, which are defective in MS patients, recent studies have found potential mechanisms to explain the basis for these T-cell defects to establish a foundation for potentially modulating TGF-ß signaling to restore normal T-cell function in MS patients.