Critical roles of mTOR Complex 1 and 2 for T follicular helper cell differentiation and germinal center responses.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27690224.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.17936 and PMC identifier 5063587.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
T follicular helper (Tfh) cells play critical roles for germinal center responses and effective humoral immunity. We report here that mTOR in CD4 T cells is essential for Tfh differentiation. In <i>Mtor<sup>f/f</sup>-Cd4Cre</i> mice, both constitutive and inducible Tfh differentiation is severely impaired, leading to defective germinal center B cell formation and antibody production. Moreover, both mTORC1 and mTORC2 contribute to Tfh and GC B cell development but may do so via distinct mechanisms. mTORC1 mainly promotes CD4 T cell proliferation to reach the cell divisions necessary for Tfh differentiation, while Rictor/mTORC2 regulates Tfh differentiation by promoting Akt activation and TCF1 expression without grossly influencing T cell proliferation. Together, our results reveal crucial but distinct roles for mTORC1 and mTORC2 in CD4 T cells during Tfh differentiation and germinal center responses.
Medical subject headings
- Cell Differentiation
- Germinal Center
- Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1
- Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2
- T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer