Follicular regulatory T cells expressing Foxp3 and Bcl-6 suppress germinal center reactions.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 21785430.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/nm.2426 and PMC identifier 3151340.
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Abstract
Foxp3(+) regulatory T (T(reg)) cells suppress different types of immune responses to help maintain homeostasis in the body. How T(reg) cells regulate humoral immunity, including germinal center reactions, is unclear. Here we identify a subset of T(reg) cells expressing CXCR5 and Bcl-6 that localize to the germinal centers in mice and humans. The expression of CXCR5 on T(reg) cells depends on Bcl-6. These CXCR5(+)Bcl-6(+) T(reg) cells are absent in the thymus but can be generated de novo from CXCR5(-)Foxp3(+) natural T(reg) precursors. A lack of CXCR5(+) T(reg) cells leads to greater germinal center reactions including germinal center B cells, affinity maturation of antibodies and the differentiation of plasma cells. These results unveil a Bcl-6-CXCR5 axis in T(reg) cells that drives the development of follicular regulatory T (T(FR)) cells that function to inhibit the germinal center reactions.
Medical subject headings
- Cell Differentiation
- DNA-Binding Proteins
- Forkhead Transcription Factors
- Germinal Center
- Self Tolerance
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory