title: Functional RNAs control T follicular helper cells.
abstract: T follicular helper cells (Tfh cells), which are a prototypic subset of effector CD4+T cells, regulate the production of high-affinity antibodies by controlling B cells at initial and recall phases. Since the discovery of Tfh cells in human tonsils, many notable studies focusing on Tfh cells have clarified mechanisms underlying Tfh-cell-related physiological and pathological settings. Results of these studies revealed a chief regulatory function of BCL6 in Tfh cells and the involvement of Tfh cells in the pathogenesis of various disorders including autoimmune diseases, allergies and cancers. Further, accumulating evidence has revealed microRNAs (miRNAs) of functional noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) to be cardinal regulators of Tfh cells during the processes of development, differentiation and plasticity. In this review article, we summarize and discuss the results of recent studies about miRNAs operating Tfh-cell function and their relationships in diseases. Through the window of such functional ncRNAs, the functional significance of Tfh cells in CD4+T-cell biology is becoming apparent. Studies to determine the complex background of the genetic program of Tfh cells operated by functional RNAs should lead to an understanding of the manifestations of Tfh cells with unidentified pathophysiological relevance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ichimiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.|Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kamekura
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Immunology, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Motonari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamei
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Himi
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051560:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C084103:BCL6 protein, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D051560:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6