Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Accessing Early Differentiation of Virus-Specific Follicular Helper CD4+ T Cell in Acute LCMV-Infected Mice
Published on: April 26, 2024
Bcl6 mediates the development of T follicular helper cells
Roza I Nurieva1, Yeonseok Chung, Gustavo J Martinez
1Department of Immunology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. rnurieva@mdanderson.org
Abstract:
A fundamental function of CD4+ helper T (T(H)) cells is the regulation of B cell-mediated humoral immunity. Development of T follicular helper (T(FH)) cells that provide help to B cells is mediated by the cytokines interleukin-6 and interleukin-21 but is independent of TH1, TH2, and TH17 effector cell lineages. Here, we characterize the function of Bcl6, a transcription factor selectively expressed in T(FH) cells. Bcl6 expression is regulated by interleukin-6 and interleukin-21. Bcl6 overexpression induced T(FH)-related gene expression and inhibited other T(H) lineage cell differentiation in a DNA binding-dependent manner. Moreover, Bcl6 deficiency in T cells resulted in impaired T(FH) cell development and germinal center reactions, and altered production of other effector T cell subsets. Our data thus illustrate that Bcl6 is required for programming of T(FH) cell generation.
More Related Videos
07:07Evaluation of T Follicular Helper Cells and Germinal Center Response During Influenza A Virus Infection in Mice
Published on: June 27, 2020
07:39Isolation of CD4+ T-cells and Analysis of Circulating T-follicular Helper (cTfh) Cell Subsets from Peripheral Blood Using 6-color Flow Cytometry
Published on: January 7, 2019
Related Concept Videos
B Cell Activation and Differentiation
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response
Primary Lymphoid Organs
The red bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue nestled in the interior of long bones such as the humerus and femur. It is the site...
Special Features of Adaptive Immunity
The primary cell types involved in adaptive immunity are T cells and B cells. Each type has a unique role in defending the body against pathogens. T cells are responsible for cell-mediated immunity. They identify and eliminate infected cells directly,...