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01-08-2016 | Immunology and Transplantation (L Piemonti and V Sordi, Section Editors)

Follicular Helper T Cells in Autoimmunity

Authors: Martin G. Scherm, Verena B. Ott, Carolin Daniel

Published in: Current Diabetes Reports | Issue 8/2016

Abstract

The development of multiple disease-relevant autoantibodies is a hallmark of autoimmune diseases. In autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D), a variable time frame of autoimmunity precedes the clinically overt disease. The relevance of T follicular helper (TFH) cells for the immune system is increasingly recognized. Their pivotal contribution to antibody production by providing help to germinal center (GC) B cells facilitates the development of a long-lived humoral immunity. Their complex differentiation process, involving various stages and factors like B cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl6), is strictly controlled, as anomalous regulation of TFH cells is connected with immunopathologies. While the adverse effects of a TFH cell-related insufficient humoral immunity are obvious, the role of increased TFH frequencies in autoimmune diseases like T1D is currently highlighted. High levels of autoantigen trigger an excessive induction of TFH cells, consequently resulting in the production of autoantibodies. Therefore, TFH cells might provide promising approaches for novel therapeutic strategies.

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Title: Follicular Helper T Cells in Autoimmunity
Authors: Martin G. Scherm
Verena B. Ott
Carolin Daniel
Publication date: 01-08-2016
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Current Diabetes Reports / Issue 8/2016
Print ISSN: 1534-4827
Electronic ISSN: 1539-0829
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-016-0770-2

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