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Activin A Programs the Differentiation of Human TFH Cells

Activin A Programs the Differentiation of Human TFH Cells

Michela Locci, Jennifer E Wu, Fortuna Arumemi, Zbigniew Mikulski, Carol Dahlberg, Andrew T Miller, Shane Crotty

Nat Immunol. 2016 Aug;17(8):976-84.

PMID: 27376469

Abstract:

Follicular helper T cells (TFH cells) are CD4(+) T cells specialized in helping B cells and are associated both with protective antibody responses and autoimmune diseases. The promise of targeting TFH cells therapeutically has been limited by fragmentary understanding of extrinsic signals that regulate the differentiation of human TFH cells. A screen of a human protein library identified activin A as a potent regulator of TFH cell differentiation. Activin A orchestrated the expression of multiple genes associated with the TFH program, independently or in concert with additional signals. TFH cell programming by activin A was antagonized by the cytokine IL-2. Activin A's ability to drive TFH cell differentiation in vitro was conserved in non-human primates but not in mice. Finally, activin-A-induced TFH programming was dependent on signaling via SMAD2 and SMAD3 and was blocked by pharmacological inhibitors.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	Structure	CAS Number	Price
IAR4248740	Activin A human			Price

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