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Understanding the development and function of T follicular helper cells

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 7, pages 190–197 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

A fundamental function of T helper (Th) cells is to regulate B-cell proliferation and immunoglobulin class switching, especially in the germinal centers. Th1 and Th2 lineages of CD4+ T cells have long been considered to play an essential role in helping B cells by promoting the production immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) and IgG1/IgE, respectively. Recently, it has become clear that a subset CD4+ T cells, named T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, is critical to B-cell response induction. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in our understanding of the regulation of Tfh cell differentiation, the relationship of Tfh cells to other CD4+ T-cell lineages, and the role of Tfh cells in health and disease.

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Acknowledgements

We thank our colleagues in Dr Chen Dong's laboratory for their contributions to the scientific content of this review and Josh D. Gregorio for critical reading of the manuscript. RN's research is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

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  1. Department of Immunology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Roza I Nurieva & Yeonseok Chung

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Nurieva, R., Chung, Y. Understanding the development and function of T follicular helper cells. Cell Mol Immunol 7, 190–197 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2010.24

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