Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

Bone Morphogenic Proteins Are Immunoregulatory Cytokines Controlling Foxp3+ TReg Cells, Lauren M. Browning, Caroline Miller, Michal Kuczma, Maciej Pietrzak, Yu Jing, Grzegorz Rempala, Pawel Muranski, Leszek Ignatowicz, Piotr Kraj

Bioelectrics Publications

Bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) are members of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) cytokine family promoting differentiation, homeostasis, and self-renewal of multiple tissues. We show that signaling through the bone morphogenic protein receptor 1α (BMPR1α) sustains expression of FOXP3 in T_reg cells in peripheral lymphoid tissues. BMPR1α signaling promotes molecular circuits supporting acquisition and preservation of T_reg cell phenotype and inhibiting differentiation of pro-inflammatory effector Th1/Th17 CD4+ T cell. Mechanistically, increased expression of KDM6B (JMJD3) histone demethylase, an antagonist of the polycomb repressive complex 2, underlies lineage-specific changes of T cell phenotypes associated with abrogation of BMPR1α signaling. …