title: PD-1(HIGH) Follicular CD4 T Helper Cell Subsets Residing in Lymph Node Germinal Centers Correlate with B Cell Maturation and IgG Production in Rhesus Macaques.
abstract: CD4+ T follicular helper (TFH) cells guide development and maturation of B cells and are crucial for effective antibody responses. Here we found rhesus macaque TFH cells, defined as CXCR5+CD4 T cells, contain two major populations: PD-1(INT) and PD-1(HIGH) cells. Of these, PD-1(HIGH)CD4+ T cells highly co-express ICOS but little CCR7, and reside in lymph node germinal centers (GCs), but not in blood. These cells secrete IL-21 and express transcriptional factor Bcl-6 at higher levels than CXCR5+PD-1(INT)CD4+ T cells. In addition, the frequency of PD-1(HIGH)CD4+ T cells is low in lymph nodes of newborns, but increases with age. Levels of PD-1(HIGH)CD4+ T cells correlate with mature B cells in lymph nodes, and PD-1 blockade in PD-1(HIGH)CD4+ T and B cell co-cultures significantly inhibits IgG production. In summary, PD-1(HIGH)CD4+ T cells residing in GC represent a specific TFH subset that contributes to maturation of B cells and IgG production.
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University School of Medicine , Covington, LA , USA.
authors.forename: Huanbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University School of Medicine , Covington, LA , USA.
authors.forename: Xiaolei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University School of Medicine , Covington, LA , USA.
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Lackner
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University School of Medicine , Covington, LA , USA.
authors.forename: Ronald S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Veazey
keywords: B cell; IgG; PD-1; follicular CD4 T helper cells; lymph nodes