Divergent cytokine and transcriptional signatures control functional T follicular helper cell heterogeneity.

ABSTRACT: CD4⁺ T follicular helper (T_FH) cells support tailored B cell responses against multiple classes of pathogens. To reveal how diverse T_FH phenotypes are established, we profiled mouse T_FH cells in response to viral, helminth and bacterial infection. We identified a core T_FH signature that is distinct from CD4⁺ T follicular regulatory and effector cells and identified pathogen-specific transcriptional modules that shape T_FH function. Cytokine-transcriptional T_FH programming demonstrated that type I interferon and TGFβ signaling direct individual T_FH phenotypes to instruct B cell output. Cytokine-directed T_FH transcriptional phenotypes are shared within human germinal centers, but dist

SUBMITTER: Dalit L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12479364 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature