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Human blood Tfh cells (P4534)
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Human blood Tfh cells (P4534)

Shane Crotty, Michela Locci, Colin Havenar-Daughton, Mark Kroenke and Elias Haddad
The Journal of immunology (1950), v 190(1_Supplement), pp 178-178.23
01 May 2013
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.190.Supp.178.23

Abstract

Abstract Follicular helper (Tfh) CD4 T cells are the specialized T cells for B cell help, required for development of germinal centers and most B cell memory. T cell help is frequently a limiting factor for these processes. Therefore understanding Tfh cells is important for developing rational vaccine strategies. Tfh cells are also potentially extremely useful biomarkers in human vaccine clinical trials as predictors of long-term humoral immunity. We have therefore pursued an understanding of the phenotype, transcription factors, and functions of Tfh cells in humans. CXCR5+ CD4 T cells are present in human blood, and constitute ~20% of CD45RO+ cells. There are differences of opinion as to whether these “blood Tfh” are memory cells or not. We have performed a series of experiments subsetting the blood CXCR5+ cells into 4 groups based on differential expression of Tfh associated surface markers. Gene expression profiling indicates that one of the four groups is the most related to active Tfh in human lymphoid tissue. All four populations have significant gene expression differences from CXCR5lo memory CD4 T cells in blood. Furthermore, a series of functional studies indicates that these four subsets of CXCR5+ cells differ in their capacity to help B cells. We are assessing whether long term memory cells are present in one or more of these blood Tfh subpopulations. These studies examining the functions and ontogeny of blood Tfh cells are important for the field of vaccine design.

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