Follicular Helper T Cells in Autoimmunity.
The development of multiple disease-relevant autoantibodies is a hallmark of autoimmune diseases. In autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D), a variable time frame of autoimmunity precedes the clinically overt disease. The relevance of T follicular helper (TFH) cells for the immune system is increasingly recognized. Their pivotal contribution to antibody production by providing help to germinal center (GC) B cells facilitates the development of a long-lived humoral immunity. Their complex differentiation process, involving various stages and factors like B cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl6), is strictly controlled, as anomalous regulation of TFH cells is connected with immunopathologies. While the adverse effects of a TFH cell-related insufficient humoral immunity are obvious, the role of increased TFH frequencies in autoimmune diseases like T1D is currently highlighted. High levels of autoantigen trigger an excessive induction of TFH cells, consequently resulting in the production of autoantibodies. Therefore, TFH cells might provide promising approaches for novel therapeutic strategies.
Institute for Diabetes Research, Independent Young Investigator Group Immune Tolerance in Type 1 Diabetes, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Heidemannstrasse 1, Munich, 80939, Germany.|Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), am Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, Neuherberg, 85764, Germany.
Martin G
MG
Scherm
Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), am Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, Neuherberg, 85764, Germany.|Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Division of Metabolic Diseases, Technische Universität München, Parkring 13, Garching, 85748, Germany.|Institute for Advanced Study, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 2a, Garching, 85748, Germany.
Verena B
VB
Ott
Institute for Diabetes Research, Independent Young Investigator Group Immune Tolerance in Type 1 Diabetes, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Heidemannstrasse 1, Munich, 80939, Germany. carolin.daniel@helmholtz-muenchen.de.|Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), am Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, Neuherberg, 85764, Germany. carolin.daniel@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
Carolin
C
Daniel
D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
D015415:Biomarkers
Autoantibodies; Autoimmunity; Biomarker; TFH cells; Type 1 diabetes