Project description:Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells have been implicated in controlling rejection after allogeneic kidney transplantation, but the precise subsets, origins and functions of Tfh cells in this process have not been fully characterized. Here we show that a subset of effector Tfh cell marked by previous IL- 21 production is potently induced during allogeneic kidney transplantation and is inhibited by immunosuppressive agents. Single-cell RNAseq revealed that these lymph node effector Tfh cells have transcriptional and clonal overlap with IL-21 producing kidney infiltrating Tfh cells, implicating common origins and developmental trajectories. To investigate the precise functions of IL-21 producing effector Tfh cells in lymph nodes and allografts, we used a mouse model to selectively eliminate these cells and assessed allogeneic B cell clonal dynamics using a single B cell culture system. We found that IL-21 producing effector Tfh cells were essential for transplant rejection by regulating donor-specific germinal center B cell clonal dynamics both systemically in the draining lymph node and locally within kidney grafts. Thus, IL-21 producing effector Tfh cells have multifaceted roles in antibody-mediated rejection after kidney transplantation by promoting B cell alloimmunity.
Project description:Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells have been implicated in controlling rejection after allogeneic kidney transplantation, but the precise subsets, origins, and functions of Tfh cells in this process have not been fully characterized. Here we show that a subset of effector Tfh cells marked by previous IL-21 production is potently induced during allogeneic kidney transplantation and is inhibited by immunosuppressive agents. Single-cell RNA-Seq revealed that these lymph node (LN) effector Tfh cells have transcriptional and clonal overlap with IL-21-producing kidney-infiltrating Tfh cells, implicating common origins and developmental trajectories. To investigate the precise functions of IL-21-producing effector Tfh cells in LNs and allografts, we used a mouse model to selectively eliminate these cells and assessed allogeneic B cell clonal dynamics using a single B cell culture system. We found that IL-21-producing effector Tfh cells were essential for transplant rejection by regulating donor-specific germinal center B cell clonal dynamics both systemically in the draining LN and locally within kidney grafts. Thus, IL-21-producing effector Tfh cells have multifaceted roles in Ab-mediated rejection after kidney transplantation by promoting B cell alloimmunity.
Project description:While the function of many leukocytes in transplant biology has been well defined, the role of eosinophils is controversial and remains poorly explored. Conflicting data exist regarding eosinophils’ role in alloimmunity based on context and organ type. Due to their prevalence in the lung, and their defined role in other pulmonary pathology such as asthma, we set out to explore the role of eosinophils in the long-term maintenance of the lung allograft. We noted that depletion of eosinophils results in the generation of donor-specific antibodies. Eosinophil depletion increased memory B cell, plasma cell, and antibody secreting cell differentiation and resulted in de novo-generation of follicular germinal centers. Germinal center formation depended on the expansion of CD4+Foxp3-Bcl6+CXCR5+PD1+ T follicular helper cells (Tfh) which increase in number after eosinophil depletion. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that eosinophils prevent Tfh generation by acting as the dominant source of IFN-γ in an established lung allograft, thus facilitating Th1 rather than Tfh polarization of naïve CD4+ T cells. Our data thus describe a unique and previously unknown role for eosinophils in maintaining allograft tolerance and suggests that indiscriminate administration of eosinophil-lytic corticosteroids for treatment of acute cellular rejection may inadvertently promote humoral alloimmunity.
Project description:GEP on Affymetrix U133+2.0 microarrays was performed on ex vivo cell-sorted Tfh from FL or TONS GEP was performed on 7 Tfh from FL and 7 Tfh from TONS
Project description:We found that a number of Tfh cells downmodulated BCL6 protein after their development, and we sought to compare the gene expression between BCL6-hi Tfh cells and BCL6-low Tfh cells. CD4+ T cells were sorted from immunized and non-immunized mice for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. Bcl6yfp/+ OT-II cells were transferred to congenic recipient mice, and immunized with NP-OVA in CFA subcutaneously. Seven or ten days after immunization, cells were collected from draining lymph nodes, and sorted on FACSAria by the expression of CXCR5, PD-1 and BCL6-YFP. Naive CD4+ T cells were CD4+ CD44lo CD62Lhi cells from unimmunized mice.
Project description:Expression of germinal center T follicular helper (GC-Tfh) cells and pre-Tfh cells from tonsils (Tons) and follicular lymphoma lymph nodes (FL).