Functional differentiation and regulation of follicular T helper cells in inflammation and autoimmunity
Lin Dong, Ying He, Yejin Cao, Yuexin Wang, Anna Jia, Yufei Wang, Qiuli Yang, Wanjie Li, Yujing Bi, Guangwei Liu
Abstract
Summary Follicular T helper (T FH ) cells are specialized T cells that support B cells, which are essential for humoral immunity. T FH cells express the transcription factor B‐cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl‐6), chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) receptor (CXCR) 5, the surface receptors programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) and inducible T‐cell costimulator (ICOS), the cytokine IL‐21 and other molecules. The activation, proliferation and differentiation of T FH cells are closely related to dynamic changes in cellular metabolism. In this review, we summarize the progress made in understanding the development and functional differentiation of T FH cells. Specifically, we focus on the regulatory mechanisms of T FH cell functional differentiation, including regulatory signalling pathways and the metabolic regulatory mechanisms of T FH cells. In addition, T FH cells are closely related to immune‐associated diseases, including infections, autoimmune diseases and cancers.