Tox2 is required for the maintenance of GC T<sub>FH</sub> cells and the generation of memory T<sub>FH</sub> cells.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 34623911.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abj1249 and PMC identifier 8500513.
- 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
Memory T follicular helper (T<sub>FH</sub>) cells play an essential role to induce secondary antibody response by providing help to memory and naïve B cells. Here, we show that the transcription factor Tox2 is vital for the maintenance of T<sub>FH</sub> cells in germinal centers (GCs) and the generation of memory T<sub>FH</sub> cells. High Tox2 expression was almost exclusive to GC T<sub>FH</sub> cells among human tonsillar and blood CD4<sup>+</sup> T cell subsets. Tox2 overexpression maintained the expression of T<sub>FH</sub>-associated genes in T cell receptor–stimulated human GC T<sub>FH</sub> cells and inhibited their spontaneous conversion into T<sub>H</sub>1-like cells. Tox2-deficient mice displayed impaired secondary T<sub>FH</sub> cell expansion upon reimmunization with an antigen and upon secondary infection with a heterologous influenza virus. Collectively, our study shows that Tox2 is highly integrated into establishment of durable GC T<sub>FH</sub> cell responses and development of memory T<sub>FH</sub> cells in mice and humans.