How T Cells Earn the Follicular Rite of Passage

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• 作者：Carola  ; G. Vinuesa¹ ;   ; ^{carola.vinuesa@anu.edu.au} ; Jason  ; G. Cyster²
• 刊名：Immunity
• 出版年：2011
• 出版时间：23 November 2011
• 年：2011
• 卷：35
• 期：5
• 页码：671-680
• 全文大小：1624 K

文摘

The discovery that Bcl-6 was the transcriptional regulator of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells completed the recognition of this population as an effector subset specialized in the provision of help to B cells. Improved reagents and recent models that allow tracking of Bcl-6-expressing T?cells have revealed that the decision to become a Tfh cell occurs soon after T?cells are primed by dendritic cells and start dividing, before interaction with B cells. The latter are important for sustaining Bcl-6 expression. Bcl-6 coordinates a signaling program that changes expression or function of multiple guidance receptors, leading to Tfh cell localization within germinal centers. This program is not unique to CD4⁺ helper T?cells; FoxP3⁺ regulatory T?cells and NKT cells?co-opt the follicular differentiation pathway to enter the follicle and become specialized follicular cells. This review will focus on recent insights into the early events that determine Tfh cell differentiation.