Disentangling Tfr cells from Treg cells and Tfh cells: How to untie the Gordian knot

Abstract

T follicular regulatory (Tfr) cells are a subpopulation of Treg cells that have adopted the T follicular helper cell program to localize to the B-cell follicle. Because of the difficulties in generating mouse models in which Tfr cells are selectively affected, determining where and how Tfr cells regulate the germinal center response remains to be resolved. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Dent and colleagues [Eur. J. Immunol. 2016. 46: 1152-1161] describe a simple, elegant mouse model to conditionally delete Tfr cells without impacting on the Treg- and Tfh-cell populations. Their initial studies suggest that Tfr cells have a more complex role than previously thought, particularly with respect to the regulation of immunoglobulin isotype switching to IgA.

Keywords: Bcl6; Follicular T cells; Germinal Center Response; IgA; Regulatory T cells.