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Tfh-cell-derived interleukin 21 sustains effector CD8+ T cell responses during chronic viral infection
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Tfh-cell-derived interleukin 21 sustains effector CD8+ T cell responses during chronic viral infection

Ryan Zander, Moujtaba Y. Kasmani, Yao Chen, Paytsar Topchyan, Jian Shen, Shikan Zheng, Robert Burns, Jennifer Ingram, Can Cui, Nikhil Joshi, …
Immunity (Cambridge, Mass.), Vol.55(3), pp.475-493.e5
03/08/2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2022.01.018
PMCID: PMC8916994
PMID: 35216666
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2022.01.018View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

CD4+ T cell-derived interleukin 21 (IL-21) sustains CD8+ T cell responses during chronic viral infection, but the helper subset that confers this protection remains unclear. Here, we applied scRNA and ATAC-seq approaches to determine the heterogeneity of IL-21+CD4+ T cells during LCMV clone 13 infection. CD4+ T cells were comprised of three transcriptionally and epigenetically distinct populations: Cxcr6+ Th1 cells, Cxcr5+ Tfh cells, and a previously unrecognized Slamf6+ memory-like (Tml) subset. T cell differentiation was specifically redirected toward the Tml subset during chronic, but not acute, LCMV infection. Although this subset displayed an enhanced capacity to accumulate and some developmental plasticity, it remained largely quiescent, which may hinder its helper potential. Conversely, mixed bone marrow chimera experiments revealed that Tfh cell-derived IL-21 was critical to sustain CD8+ T cell responses and viral control. Thus, strategies that bolster IL-21+Tfh cell responses may prove effective in enhancing CD8+ T cell-mediated immunity. [Display omitted] •scRNA-seq reveals heterogeneity among IL-21+ CD4+ T cells during chronic LCMV infection•Differential expression of CXCR6 and CXCR5 defines three distinct CD4+ T cell subsets•Chronic LCMV infection redirects CD4+ T cell differentiation toward a memory-like subset•Tfh-derived IL-21 critically sustains effector CD8+ T cell development and viral control CD4+ T cell help via IL-21 production is critical to sustain CD8+ T cell responses during chronic viral infection, but whether a particular subset mediates this process remains unclear. Zander et al. identify heterogeneity among IL-21-producing CD4+ T cells during chronic infection and find that Tfh-derived IL-21 promotes effector CD8+ T cell development and antiviral immunity.
ATAC-seq CD4 T cells IL-21 LCMV Cl13 single-cell RNA sequencing

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