Follicular Helper CD4+ T Cells in Human Neuroautoimmune Diseases and Their Animal Models

• Main Authors: Xueli Fan (Author), Chenhong Lin (Author), Jinming Han (Author), Xinmei Jiang (Author), Jie Zhu (Author), Tao Jin (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Hindawi Limited, 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Follicular helper CD4+ T (TFH) cells play a fundamental role in humoral immunity deriving from their ability to provide help for germinal center (GC) formation, B cell differentiation into plasma cells and memory cells, and antibody production in secondary lymphoid tissues. TFH cells can be identified by a combination of markers, including the chemokine receptor CXCR5, costimulatory molecules ICOS and PD-1, transcription repressor Bcl-6, and cytokine IL-21. It is difficult and impossible to get access to secondary lymphoid tissues in humans, so studies are usually performed with human peripheral blood samples as circulating counterparts of tissue TFH cells. A balance of TFH cell generation and function is critical for protective antibody response, whereas overactivation of TFH cells or overexpression of TFH-associated molecules may result in autoimmune diseases. Emerging data have shown that TFH cells and TFH-associated molecules may be involved in the pathogenesis of neuroautoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica (NMO)/neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), and myasthenia gravis (MG). This review summarizes the features of TFH cells, including their development, function, and roles as well as TFH-associated molecules in neuroautoimmune diseases and their animal models.

Item Description

0962-9351
1466-1861
10.1155/2015/638968