Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: The transcription factor T cell factor 1 (TCF1), a pioneer transcription factor as well as a downstream effector of WNT/β-catenin signaling, is indispensable for T cell development in the thymus. Recent studies have highlighted the additional critical role of TCF1 in peripheral T cell responses to acute and chronic infections as well as cancer. Here, we review the regulatory functions of TCF1 in the differentiation of T follicular helper cells, memory T cells and recently described stem-like exhausted T cells, where TCF1 promotes less differentiated stem-like cell states by controlling common gene-regulatory networks. These studies also provide insights into the mechanisms of defective T cell responses in older individuals. We discuss alterations in TCF1 expression and related regulatory networks with age and their consequences for T cell responses to infections and vaccination. The increasing understanding of the pathways regulating TCF1 expression and function in aged T cells holds the promise of enabling the design of therapeutic interventions aiming at improving T cell responses in older individuals.
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21186497
Authors: Chulwoo Kim, Jun Jin, Cornelia M. Weyand, Jörg J. Goronzy
Language: English
Topic: T-cell and B-cell Immunology
Subfield: Immunology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,112
Awards: G1108740576, G1809139246, G2305232878, G366100091, Oligoclonal T Cell Expansion and Rheumatoid Arthritis, G6241365711, G7126395394, G9000017482, G9000051380, G9000060880, G9000110302, G9000123093, G9000126294, G9000137488, G9000144690, G9000150726, G9000222606, G9000269492, The NOTCH Signaling Pathway in Large Vessel Vasculitis, Vaccine and Infection Induced Immunity in the Young and Aged
OpenAlex ID: W3083202162