Follicular regulatory T cells control humoral autoimmunity via NFAT2-regulated CXCR5 expression

J Exp Med. 2014 Mar 10;211(3):545-61. doi: 10.1084/jem.20130604. Epub 2014 Mar 3.

Abstract

Maturation of high-affinity B lymphocytes is precisely controlled during the germinal center reaction. This is dependent on CD4(+)CXCR5(+) follicular helper T cells (TFH) and inhibited by CD4(+)CXCR5(+)Foxp3(+) follicular regulatory T cells (TFR). Because NFAT2 was found to be highly expressed and activated in follicular T cells, we addressed its function herein. Unexpectedly, ablation of NFAT2 in T cells caused an augmented GC reaction upon immunization. Consistently, however, TFR cells were clearly reduced in the follicular T cell population due to impaired homing to B cell follicles. This was TFR-intrinsic because only in these cells NFAT2 was essential to up-regulate CXCR5. The physiological relevance for humoral (auto-)immunity was corroborated by exacerbated lupuslike disease in the presence of NFAT2-deficient TFR cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Autoimmunity / immunology*
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • DNA Primers / genetics
  • Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Germinal Center / immunology*
  • Immunity, Humoral / immunology*
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • NFATC Transcription Factors / genetics
  • NFATC Transcription Factors / immunology*
  • NFATC Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Receptors, CXCR5 / immunology*
  • Receptors, CXCR5 / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology*

Substances

  • CXCR5 protein, mouse
  • DNA Primers
  • NFATC Transcription Factors
  • Nfatc1 protein, mouse
  • Receptors, CXCR5