Tissue-restricted secondary TCR engagement drives the transition from stem-like to CD200+ Egr2hi arthritogenic Th17 cells - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #TH17 cells
- #autoimmune arthritis
- #TCR signaling
- Excessive activation of TH17 cells can lead to autoimmune tissue inflammation.
- TH17 and regulatory T cells do not show significant mutual plasticity based on lineage-tracing and TCR repertoire analyses.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing identified three distinct TH17 clusters in joint CD4+ T cells, ranging from stem-like to highly pathogenic states.
- Transition to the pathogenic CD200+ Egr2hi state is mediated by tissue-restricted secondary TCR engagement, not just inflammatory cues.
- Secondary autoimmune TCR signaling is a critical determinant of TH17 cell development and a potential therapeutic target for autoimmune arthritis.