Expression and function of Smad7 in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases

• Published in: Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany) Vol. 99; no. 9; pp. 1209 - 1220
• Main Authors: Hu, Yiping, He, Juan, He, Lianhua, Xu, Bihua, Wang, Qingwen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.09.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmune Diseases - genetics; Autoimmune Diseases - immunology; Autoimmune Diseases - metabolism; Autoimmunity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell differentiation; Cell migration; Epithelial cells; Fibrosis; Gene Expression Regulation; Gene regulation; Human Genetics; Humans; Inflammation - genetics; Inflammation - immunology; Inflammation - metabolism; Inflammatory diseases; Internal Medicine; Kidney diseases; Lymphocytes T; Molecular Medicine; Molecular modelling; NF-kappa B - metabolism; NF-κB protein; Post-transcription; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Review; Reviews; Signal Transduction; Smad7 protein; Smad7 Protein - genetics; Smad7 Protein - metabolism; Transcription, Genetic; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism; Transforming growth factor-b; Transforming growth factor-β; Regulation; Smad7
• ISSN: 0946-2716; 1432-1440; 1432-1440
• DOI: 10.1007/s00109-021-02083-1

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays a critical role in the pathological processes of various diseases. However, the signaling mechanism of TGF-β in the pathological response remains largely unclear. In this review, we discuss advances in research of Smad7, a member of the I-Smads family and a negative regulator of TGF-β signaling, and mainly review the expression and its function in diseases. Smad7 inhibits the activation of the NF-κB and TGF-β signaling pathways and plays a pivotal role in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Specifically, Smad7 can not only attenuate growth inhibition, fibrosis, apoptosis, inflammation, and inflammatory T cell differentiation, but also promotes epithelial cells migration or disease development. In this review, we aim to summarize the various biological functions of Smad7 in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, cancers, and kidney diseases, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of the transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of Smad7.