| First Author | Weinstein JS | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | J Exp Med | Volume | 215 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 337-355 |
| PubMed ID | 29212666 | Mgi Jnum | J:284613 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6119043 | Doi | 10.1084/jem.20170457 |
| Citation | Weinstein JS, et al. (2018) STAT4 and T-bet control follicular helper T cell development in viral infections. J Exp Med 215(1):337-355 |
| abstractText | Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells promote germinal center (GC) B cell survival and proliferation and guide their differentiation and immunoglobulin isotype switching by delivering contact-dependent and soluble factors, including IL-21, IL-4, IL-9, and IFN-gamma. IL-21 and IFN-gamma are coexpressed by Tfh cells during viral infections, but transcriptional regulation of these cytokines is not completely understood. In this study, we show that the T helper type 1 cell (Th1 cell) transcriptional regulators T-bet and STAT4 are coexpressed with Bcl6 in Tfh cells after acute viral infection, with a temporal decline in T-bet in the waning response. T-bet is important for Tfh cell production of IFN-gamma, but not IL-21, and for a robust GC reaction. STAT4, phosphorylated in Tfh cells upon infection, is required for expression of T-bet and Bcl6 and for IFN-gamma and IL-21. These data indicate that T-bet is expressed with Bcl6 in Tfh cells and is required alongside STAT4 to coordinate Tfh cell IL-21 and IFN-gamma production and for promotion of the GC response after acute viral challenge. |
