Expression data from WT and Tbx21-/- in vivo TFH cells versus TH1 cells
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ABSTRACT: Follicular helper T cells (TFH), known as the primary helpers of the germinal center (GC) reaction, promote the humoral immune response to defend against various pathogens. Under conditions of infection by different types of pathogens, many shared transcription factors (TFs), such as Bcl-6, TCF-1 and Maf, are broadly expressed in TFH cells, orchesting TFH cell differentiation and function. In addtion, TFH cells also coexpress environmentally specific TFs as their conventional T cell counterparts (such as T-bet, GATA-3 or ROR-γt, which are expressed in Th1, Th2 or Th17 cells, respectively). This phenomenon indicates the complexity and environmental adaptivity of the TFH cell response. However, the extent to which the TFH cell response relies on these environmentally specific TFs is not completely understood. Here, we found that transcription factor T-bet was specifically expressed in type I but not type II TFH cells and that the T-bet-IFN-γ axis was essential for the maintenance of TFH cells, promoting their proliferation and inhibiting their apoptosis during acute viral infection. Microarray analysis showed both similarities and differences in transcriptome dependency on T-bet in TFH and Th1 cells, suggesting the distinctive role of T-bet in TFH cells. Collectively, our findings reveal an important and specific supporting role for T-bet in type I TFH cell response, which can help us gain a depper understanding of TFH cell subsets.
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE122931 | GEO | 2019/04/23
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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