Neonatal T Follicular Helper Cells Are Lodged in a Pre-T Follicular Helper Stage Favoring Innate Over Adaptive Germinal Center Responses.

ABSTRACT: T follicular helper (T_fh) cells have emerged as a critical limiting factor for controlling the magnitude of neonatal germinal center (GC) reactions and primary vaccine antibody responses. We compared the functional attributes of neonatal and adult T_fh cells at the transcriptomic level and demonstrated that the T_fh cell program is well-initiated in neonates although the T_fh gene-expression pattern (i.e., CXCR5, IL-21, BCL6, TBK1, STAT4, ASCL2, and c-MAF) is largely underrepresented as compared to adult T_fh cells. Importantly, we identified a TH2-bias of neonatal T_fh cells, with preferential differentiation toward short-lived pre-T_fh effector cells. Remarkably, adjuvantation with CpG-ODNs redirect neon

SUBMITTER: Mastelic-Gavillet B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6700230 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature