title: Cutting Edge: NFAT Transcription Factors Promote the Generation of Follicular Helper T Cells in Response to Acute Viral Infection.
abstract: Follicular CD4(+) Th (Tfh) cells provide B cell help in germinal center reactions that support class switching, somatic hypermutation, and the generation of high-affinity Abs. In this article, we show that deficiency in NFAT1 and NFAT2 in CD4(+) T cells leads to impaired germinal center reactions upon viral infection because of reduced Tfh cell differentiation and defective expression of proteins involved in T/B interactions and B cell help, including ICOS, PD-1, and SLAM family receptors. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation data suggest that NFAT proteins likely directly participate in regulation of genes important for Tfh cell differentiation and function. NFAT proteins are important TCR and Ca(2+)-dependent regulators of T cell biology, and in this article we demonstrate a major positive role of NFAT family members in Tfh differentiation.
authors: Department of Signaling and Gene Expression, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037; gustavo.martinez@rosalindfranklin.edu.
authors: Gustavo J
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0178-3329
authors: GJ
authors: Martinez
authors: Department of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037;
authors: Joyce K
authors: JK
authors: Hu
authors: Department of Signaling and Gene Expression, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037;
authors: Renata M
authors: RM
authors: Pereira
authors: Department of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037;
authors: Jordan S
authors: JS
authors: Crampton
authors: Department of Signaling and Gene Expression, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037;
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Togher
authors: Genomics Core, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, 33458;
authors: Nicholas
authors: N
authors: Bild
authors: Department of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA, 92037; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037;
authors: Shane
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6484-6262
authors: S
authors: Crotty
authors: Department of Signaling and Gene Expression, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037; Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093; Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093; and Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92037.
authors: Anjana
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1870-1775
authors: A
authors: Rao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology*; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors