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The darker side of follicular helper T cells: from autoimmunity to immunodeficiency

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 9, pages 380–385 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Follicular helper T (TFH) cells represent a distinct subset of CD4+ helper T (TH) cells specialized in providing help to B cells. They are characterized by their unique transcriptional profile (Bcl6), surface marker expression (CXCR5, PD-1, ICOS and CD40L) and cytokine production pattern (IL-21 and IL-6). TFH cells provide help to B cells both to form germinal centers (GCs) and to differentiate into memory B cells and plasma cells for generation of humoral responses. However, there is emerging evidence that implicates TFH cells in the development of various human pathologies, such as autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiency and lymphoma. This review focuses on the current progress in this area including mouse and human studies. A clearer understanding of the mechanisms of TFH cell-mediated immunity and pathology may be exploited for rational development of therapeutic strategies.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Manitoba Health Research Council (to XY). SS was a recipient of Dr Allan R. Ronald Studentship and Manitoba Health Research Council PhD Studentship. XY is Canada Research Chair in Infection and Immunity. The authors would like to thank Ms Ying Peng for her assistance in figure drawing.

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  1. Department of Medical Microbiology, Laboratory for Infection and Immunity, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Sudhanshu Shekhar & Xi Yang

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Correspondence to Xi Yang.

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Shekhar, S., Yang, X. The darker side of follicular helper T cells: from autoimmunity to immunodeficiency. Cell Mol Immunol 9, 380–385 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2012.26

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