| First Author | Mitsdoerffer M | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 107 |
| Issue | 32 | Pages | 14292-7 |
| PubMed ID | 20660725 | Mgi Jnum | J:163609 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4822503 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.1009234107 |
| Citation | Mitsdoerffer M, et al. (2010) Proinflammatory T helper type 17 cells are effective B-cell helpers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107(32):14292-7 |
| abstractText | T helper type 17 (TH17) cells are highly proinflammatory effector T cells that are characterized by the production of high amounts of IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, and IL-22. Furthermore, TH17 cells have been associated with a number of autoimmune diseases. However, it is not clear whether TH17 cells can also serve as effective helper cells. Here we show that TH17 cells can function as B-cell helpers in that they not only induce a strong proliferative response of B cells in vitro but also trigger antibody production with class switch recombination in vivo. Transfer of TH17 cells into WT or T-cell receptor alpha-deficient mice, which lack endogenous T cells, induces a pronounced antibody response with preferential isotype class switching to IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG3, as well as the formation of germinal centers. Conversely, blockade of IL-17 signaling results in a significant reduction in both number and size of germinal centers. Whereas IL-21 is known to help B cells, IL-17 on its own drives B cells to undergo preferential isotype class switching to IgG2a and IgG3 subtypes. These observations provide insights into the unappreciated role of TH17 cells and their signature cytokines in mediating B-cell differentiation and class switch recombination. |
