CD8α− Dendritic Cells Induce Antigen-Specific T Follicular Helper Cells Generating Efficient Humoral Immune Responses

• The CD8α− DC subset efficiently induces functional antigen-specific Tfh cells
• A small amount of antigen delivered to CD8α− DCs is sufficient to induce Tfh cells
• ICOSL and OX40L on CD8α− DCs have a critical role in Tfh cell differentiation
• Efficient humoral immune responses are generated by CD8α− DC-induced Tfh cells

SummaryRecent studies on T follicular helper (Tfh) cells have significantly advanced our understanding of T cell-dependent B cell responses. However, little is known about the early stage of Tfh cell commitment by dendritic cells (DCs), particularly by the conventional CD8α+ and CD8α− DC subsets. We show that CD8α− DCs localized at the interfollicular zone play a pivotal role in the induction of antigen-specific Tfh cells by upregulating the expression of Icosl and Ox40l through the non-canonical NF-κB signaling pathway. Tfh cells induced by CD8α− DCs function as true B cell helpers, resulting in significantly increased humoral immune responses against various human pathogenic antigens, including Yersinia pestis LcrV, HIV Gag, and hepatitis B surface antigen. Our findings uncover a mechanistic role of CD8α− DCs in the initiation of Tfh cell differentiation and thereby provide a rationale for investigating CD8α− DCs in enhancing antigen-specific humoral immune responses for improving vaccines and therapeutics.

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