MicroRNA-mediated Regulation of the Development and Functions of Follicular Helper T cells

The germinal center reaction is a key event of humoral immunity, providing long-lived immunological memory. Follicular helper T (TFH) cells are a specialized subset of CD4(+) T cells located in the follicles, which help B cells and thus control the germinal center reaction. TFH cell development is achieved by multi-step processes of interactions with dendritic cells and B cells along with the coordination of various transcription factors. Since the T helper cell fate decision program is determined by subtle changes in regulatory molecules, fine tuning of these dynamic interactions is crucial for the generation functional TFH cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important post-transcriptional regulatory molecules for gene expression, which consequently modulate diverse biological functions. In the last decade, the miRNA-mediated regulation network for the germinal center reaction has been extensively explored in T cells and B cells, resulting in the identification of several key miRNA species and their target genes. Here, we review the current knowledge of the miRNA-mediated control of the germinal center reaction, focusing on the aspect of T cell regulation in particular. In addition, we highlight the most important issues related to defining the functional target genes of the relevant miRNAs. We believe that the studies that uncover the miRNA-mediated regulatory axis of TFH cell generation and functions by defining their functional target genes might provide additional opportunities to understand germinal center reactions.