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Evaluation of T Follicular Helper Cells and Germinal Center Response During Influenza A Virus Infection in Mice
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Bcl6 expression specifies the T follicular helper cell program in vivo

Xindong Liu1, Xiaowei Yan, Bo Zhong

  • 1Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|September 19, 2012
PubMed

T follicular helper cells (Tfh cells) play a pivotal role in germinal center reactions, which require B cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl6) transcription factor. To analyze their relationships with other effector T cell lineages and their stability in vivo, we developed and analyzed a new Bcl6 reporter mouse alone or together with other lineage reporter systems. Assisted with genome-wide transcriptome analysis, we show substantial plasticity of T cell differentiation in the early phase of immune response. At this stage, CXCR5 appears to be expressed in a Bcl6-independent manner. Once Bcl6 is highly expressed, Tfh cells can persist in vivo and some of them develop into memory cells. Together, our results indicate Bcl6 as a bona fide marker for Tfh polarized program.

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