Divergent cytokine and transcriptional signatures control functional T follicular helper cell heterogeneity

Abstract

CD4+ T follicular helper (TFH) cells support tailored B cell responses against multiple classes of pathogens. To reveal how diverse TFH phenotypes are established, we profiled mouse TFH cells in response to viral, helminth and bacterial infection. We identified a core TFH signature that is distinct from CD4+ T follicular regulatory and effector cells and identified pathogen-specific transcriptional modules that shape TFH function. Cytokine-transcriptional TFH programming demonstrated that type I interferon and TGFβ signaling direct individual TFH phenotypes to instruct B cell output. Cytokine-directed TFH transcriptional phenotypes are shared within human germinal centers, but distinct TFH p..