We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
SMAD4 promotes TGF-β-independent NK cell homeostasis and maturation and antitumor immunity.
- Authors
Youwei Wang; Jianhong Chu; Ping Yi; Wejuan Dong; Saultz, Jennifer; Yufeng Wang; Hongwei Wang; Scoville, Steven; Jianying Zhang; Lai-Chu Wu; Youcai Deng; Xiaoming He; Mundy-Bosse, Bethany; Freud, Aharon G.; Li-Shu Wang; Caligiuri, Michael A.; Jianhua Yu; Wang, Youwei; Chu, Jianhong; Yi, Ping
- Abstract
SMAD4 is the only common SMAD in TGF-β signaling that usually impedes immune cell activation in the tumor microenvironment. However, we demonstrated here that selective deletion of Smad4 in NK cells actually led to dramatically reduced tumor cell rejection and augmented tumor cell metastases, reduced murine CMV clearance, as well as impeded NK cell homeostasis and maturation. This was associated with a downregulation of granzyme B (Gzmb), Kit, and Prdm1 in Smad4-deficient NK cells. We further unveiled the mechanism by which SMAD4 promotes Gzmb expression. Gzmb was identified as a direct target of a transcriptional complex formed by SMAD4 and JUNB. A JUNB binding site distinct from that for SMAD4 in the proximal Gzmb promoter was required for transcriptional activation by the SMAD4-JUNB complex. In a Tgfbr2 and Smad4 NK cell-specific double-conditional KO model, SMAD4-mediated events were found to be independent of canonical TGF-β signaling. Our study identifies and mechanistically characterizes unusual functions and pathways for SMAD4 in governing innate immune responses to cancer and viral infection, as well as NK cell development.
- Subjects
TRANSFORMING growth factors; KILLER cells; CANCER cells; HOMEOSTASIS; ANTINEOPLASTIC agents; IMMUNITY
- Publication
Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2018, Vol 128, Issue 11, p5123
- ISSN
0021-9738
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1172/JCI121227