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The development and function of follicular helper T cells in immune responses

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 9, pages 375–379 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Follicular helper T cells (Tfh) have been referred as a lineage that provides a help for B cells to proliferate and undergo antibody affinity maturation in the germinal center. Evidence has supported that Tfh subset development, like other lineages, is dependent on microenvironment where a particular transcriptional program is initiated. It has been shown that Bcl-6 and IL-21 act as master regulators for the development and function of Tfh cells. Tfh dysregulation is involved in the development of autoimmune pathologies, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. The present review highlights the recent advances in the field of Tfh cells and focus on their development and function.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health R01 AR 059103, Arthritis Foundation; Wright Foundation; the Outstanding Youth Scientist Investigator Award from National Nature Science Foundation of China (30728007) and the American College of Rheumatology Research and Education's Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis campaign (all to SGZ), National Nature Science Foundation of China (30972951) (XH) and Le Studium and European FEDER grant support (BR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Organ Transplant Center, 1st Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Maogen Chen, Zhiyong Guo, Weiqiang Ju & Xiaoshun He

  2. Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Maogen Chen & Song Guo Zheng

  3. UMR6218, Molecular Immunology, University of Orleans and CNRS, 3b rue de la Ferollerie, Orleans, France

    Bernhard Ryffel

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Chen, M., Guo, Z., Ju, W. et al. The development and function of follicular helper T cells in immune responses. Cell Mol Immunol 9, 375–379 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2012.18

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