# GC-Tfh cell differentiation

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2021 · $222,750

## Abstract

Project Summary
 CD4+ T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are essential for germinal center (GC) responses and long-
term humoral immunity. It has been proposed that Tfh cell differentiation is a multi-stage process that
includes steps of PD-1+CXCR5+ pre-Tfh and PD-1hiCXCR5hi germinal center Tfh (GC-Tfh) cells.
However, most studies have been using the broadly defined “CXCR5+ Tfh” cells, which starts to
become too simplistic and may lead to confusion—particularly regarding the GC-Tfh cell differentiation
and memory.
 Dendritic cells activate naïve CD4+ T cells and initiate Tfh cell differentiation including the
induction of CXCR5 expression. The further GC-Tfh cell differentiation requires interactions with B
cells. Our preliminary results suggest that instead of simple maintenance, pre-Tfh cells undergo
substantial further differentiation to become GC-Tfh cells. To a large extent, however, little is known
about the mechanism underlying this pre-Tfh to GC-Tfh transition. In this application, we aim to
identify novel regulators in pre-Tfh to GC-Tfh cell differentiation. Meanwhile, we will also establish new
model systems to study GC-Tfh memory. Our proposal has the potential to provide important
knowledge on how to control the humoral immune response for the treatment of infectious diseases,
autoimmune disorders, and to aid vaccine development for new pandemic threats.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10234329
- **Project number:** 1R21AI161774-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Hui Hu
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $222,750
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-19 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10234329

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10234329, GC-Tfh cell differentiation (1R21AI161774-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10234329. Licensed CC0.

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