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Pathophysiology of T follicular helper cells in humans and mice

Nature Immunology volume 16, pages 142–152 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Follicular helper T cells (TFH cells) compose a heterogeneous subset of CD4+ T cells that induce the differentiation of B cells into plasma cells and memory cells. They are found within and in proximity to germinal centers in secondary lymphoid organs, and their memory compartment also circulates in the blood. Our knowledge on the biology of TFH cells has increased significantly during the past decade, largely as a result of mouse studies. However, recent studies on human TFH cells isolated from lymphoid organ and blood samples and recent observations on the developmental mechanism of human TFH cells have revealed both similarities and differences between human and mouse TFH cells. Here we present the similarities and differences between mouse and human lymphoid organ–resident TFH cells and discuss the role of TFH cells in response to vaccines and in disease pathogenesis.

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Figure 1: Potential mechanism in the generation of human TFH subsets.
Figure 2: Alteration of blood memory TFH subsets in human autoimmune diseases.
Figure 3: Risk loci of human autoimmune diseases associated with the TFH developmental pathway.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by the US National Institutes of Health (U19-AI057234, U19-AI082715 and U19-AI089987), the Alliance for Lupus Research, the Baylor Health Care System (H.U.) and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (C.G.V.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, Dallas, Texas, USA

    Hideki Ueno

  2. Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA, and Vaccine Research Institute, INSERM U955, Hopital Henri Mondor, Creteil, France.,

    Jacques Banchereau

  3. Department of Pathogens and Immunity, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

    Carola G Vinuesa

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  1. Hideki Ueno
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  3. Carola G Vinuesa
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Correspondence to Hideki Ueno, Jacques Banchereau or Carola G Vinuesa.

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Ueno, H., Banchereau, J. & Vinuesa, C. Pathophysiology of T follicular helper cells in humans and mice. Nat Immunol 16, 142–152 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3054

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