Bona Fide Th17 Cells without Th1 Functional Plasticity Protect against Influenza.

ABSTRACT: Optimal transcriptional programming needed for CD4 T cells to protect against influenza A virus (IAV) is unclear. Most IAV-primed CD4 T cells fit Th1 criteria. However, cells deficient for the Th1 "master regulator," T-bet, although marked by reduced Th1 identity, retain robust protective capacity. In this study, we show that T-bet's paralog, Eomesodermin (Eomes), is largely redundant in the presence of T-bet but is essential for the residual Th1 attributes of T-bet-deficient cells. Cells lacking both T-bet and Eomes instead develop concurrent Th17 and Th2 responses driven by specific inflammatory signals in the infected lung. Furthermore, the transfer of T-bet- and Eomes-deficient Th17, but not Th2, effector cells protects mice from lethal IAV infection. Importantly, these polyfunctional

SUBMITTER: Dhume K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9012674 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature