Naive and memory CD4+ T cell subsets can contribute to the generation of human Tfh cells

Raphaël Jeger-Madiot (1) , Romain Vaineau (1) , Maud Heredia (1) , Nicolas Tchitchek (2) , Lisa Bertrand (1) , Mathias Pereira (1) , Océane Konza (1) , Bruno Gouritin (2) , Bénédicte Hoareau (3) , Aurélien Corneau (4, 3) , Catherine Blanc (3) , Eric Savier (5) , Pierre Buffet (6) , Adrien Six (5, 2) , David Klatzmann (2, 5) , Arnaud Moris (1) , Stéphanie Graff-Dubois (2, 3)

1 CIMI - Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses
2 I3 - Immunologie - Immunopathologie - Immunothérapie [CHU Pitié Salpêtrière]
3 PASS-CYPS - Cytométrie Pitié-Salpêtrière
4 UMS LUMIC - Unité Mixte de Service d'Imagerie et de Cytométrie [CHU Saint-Antoine]
5 CHU Pitié-Salpêtrière [AP-HP]
6 BIGR (UMR_S_1134 / U1134) - Biologie Intégrée du Globule Rouge

CD4+ T follicular helper cells (Tfh) promote B cell maturation and antibody production in secondary lymphoid organs. By using an innovative culture system based on splenocyte stimulation, we studied the dynamics of naive and memory CD4+ T cells during the generation of a Tfh cell response. We found that both naive and memory CD4+ T cells can acquire phenotypic and functional features of Tfh cells. Moreover, we show here that the transition of memory as well as naive CD4+ T cells into the Tfh cell profile is supported by the expression of pro-Tfh genes, including transcription factors known to orchestrate Tfh cell development. Using this culture system, we provide pieces of evidence that HIV infection differentially alters these newly identified pathways of Tfh cell generation. Such diversity in pathways of Tfh cell generation offers a new framework for the understanding of Tfh cell responses in physiological and pathological contexts.

Domains: Immunology

Raphaël Jeger-Madiot, Romain Vaineau, Maud Heredia, Nicolas Tchitchek, Lisa Bertrand, et al.. Naive and memory CD4+ T cell subsets can contribute to the generation of human Tfh cells. iScience, 2021, pp.103566. ⟨10.1016/j.isci.2021.103566⟩. ⟨hal-03854774v1⟩