Journal
NATURE REVIEWS RHEUMATOLOGY
Volume 8, Issue 6, Pages 337-347Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/nrrheum.2012.58
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NIH [R01 AR40072, R01 AR44076, P30 AR053495]
- Rheuminations, Inc.
- Alliance for Lupus Research
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Follicular helper T (T-FH) cells are essential for B-cell maturation and immunoglobulin production after immunization with thymus-dependent antigens. Nevertheless, the development and function of T-FH cells have been less clearly defined than classic CD4(+) effector T-cell subsets, including T-helper-1 (T(H)1), T(H)2 and T(H)17 cells. As such, our understanding of the genesis of T-FH cells in humans and their role in the development of autoimmunity remains incomplete. However, evidence from animal models of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and patients with systemic autoimmune diseases suggests that these cells are necessary for pathogenic autoantibody production, in a manner analogous to their role in promotion of B-cell maturation during normal immune responses. In this Review, I discuss the findings that have increased our knowledge of T-FH-cell development and function in normal and aberrant immune responses. Such information might improve our understanding of autoimmune diseases, such as SLE, and highlights the potential of T-FH cells as therapeutic targets in these diseases.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available