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T Follicular Helper Cells in HIV Infection

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Encyclopedia of AIDS

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Definition

T follicular helper (TFH) cells are CD4+T helper cells that localize in germinal centers of secondary lymphoid tissues and specialize in supporting B-cell differentiation and maturation, mainly through secretion of IL-21. These cells are phenotypically characterized by constitutive expression of the B-cell follicle homing marker CXCR5, and their developmental program seems to be guided by the transcription factor Bcl6. Increasing data suggest that functional defects of TFH cells during HIV-1 infection contribute to dysregulation of humoral immunity and decreased responsiveness to vaccines in HIV-1-infected persons. In addition, TFH cells seem to be highly susceptible to HIV-1 infection and may play an important role as a cellular reservoir for HIV-1 persistence. Manipulation of TFH cells may be necessary for the induction of HIV-1-specific broadly neutralizing antibodies by preventative vaccine candidates. This entry provides a summary of the multiple roles of TFH cells in...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infectious Diseases Unit, University Medical Center Eppendorf and Heinrich Pette Institute – Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Jan van Lunzen

  2. Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, 400 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Madelene Lindqvist

Authors
  1. Jan van Lunzen
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  2. Madelene Lindqvist
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Correspondence to Jan van Lunzen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Cell & Molecular Biology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Thomas J. Hope

  2. Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA

    Mario Stevenson

  3. University of California, San Diego Dept. Pathology, La Jolla, California, USA

    Douglas Richman

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van Lunzen, J., Lindqvist, M. (2014). T Follicular Helper Cells in HIV Infection. In: Hope, T., Stevenson, M., Richman, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of AIDS. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9610-6_181-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9610-6_181-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9610-6

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