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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Functional Characterization of Regulatory Macrophages That Inhibit Graft-reactive Immunity
Published on: June 7, 2017
TGF-β: A master regulator of tissue-resident macrophage identity and function
Clarissa-Laura Döring1, Philipp Henneke1, Julia Kolter2
1Institute for Infection Control and Prevention, Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI), Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
None:
Tissue-resident macrophages exhibit remarkable plasticity, dynamically adapting to their local environment and adopting tissue-specific phenotypes that support organ homeostasis. The underlying identity-determining transcriptional programs are instructed by microenvironmental cues. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), which has long been recognized for its role in immunosuppression, has recently emerged as a pivotal determinant of tissue macrophage identity. In this review, we highlight how TGF-β shapes innate immunity by driving macrophage imprinting and transcriptional programming within defined tissue niches. We emphasize that the spatial and temporal regulation of TGF-β activation-rather than its overall abundance-governs its divergent effects on immune cells. Understanding the precise mechanisms promises to spur the development of more selective therapeutic strategies for modulating macrophage function in health and disease.
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