Journal article
The calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus specifically suppresses human T follicular helper cells
- Abstract:
- Background: T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are key players in the production of antibody-producing B cells via the germinal center reaction. Therapeutic strategies targeting Tfh cells are important where antibody formation is implicated in disease, such as transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases. We investigated the impact of the immunosuppressive agent tacrolimus on human Tfh cell differentiation and function in transplant recipients. Methods: Paired blood and lymph node (LN) samples were obtained from 61 transplant recipients immediately prior to organ implantation. Living-donor recipients received a week of tacrolimus prior to kidney transplantation. Deceased-donor recipients served as controls, as tacrolimus was not administered until after the transplant operation. Flow cytometry was used to compare LN and circulating cell subsets. Results: The calcineurin inhibitor (CNIs) tacrolimus specifically suppresses both LN Tfh cells and circulating Tfh cells, but not their regulatory counterparts or other CD4 T cell subsets. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that CNIs may have a more important role in the prevention of antibody formation than previously understood and, therefore, have potential for antibody-associated conditions in which aberrant Tfh function has been implicated in disease.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 4.5MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01184
Authors
+ Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
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- Grant:
- BBS/E/B/000C0407, BBS/E/B/000C0409
- Publisher:
- Frontiers Media
- Journal:
- Frontiers in Immunology More from this journal
- Volume:
- 9
- Issue:
- MAY
- Article number:
- 1184
- Publication date:
- 2018-05-31
- Acceptance date:
- 2018-05-14
- DOI:
- ISSN:
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1664-3224
- Pmid:
-
29904381
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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pubs:856584
- UUID:
-
uuid:4af2a172-3a11-4438-b75a-712c519a8a91
- Local pid:
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pubs:856584
- Source identifiers:
-
856584
- Deposit date:
-
2018-08-14
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Wallin et al
- Copyright date:
- 2018
- Notes:
- Copyright: © 2018 Wallin et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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