The frequency of follicular T helper cells differs in acute and chronic neuroinflammation

Beyond the major role of T cells in the pathogenesis of the autoimmune neuroinflammatory disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), recent studies have highlighted the impact of B cells on pathogenic inflammatory processes. Follicular T helper cells (Tfh) are essential for the promotion of B cell-driven immune responses. However, their role in MS and its murine model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), is poorly investigated. A first step to achieving a better understanding of the contribution of Tfh cells to the disease is the consideration of Tfh cell localization in relation to genetic background and EAE induction method. Here, we investigated the Tfh cell distribution during disease progression in disease relevant organs in three different EAE models. An increase of Tfh frequency in the central nervous system (CNS) was observed during peak of C57BL/6 J EAE, paralleling chronic disease activity, whereas in relapsing–remitting SJL EAE mice Tfh cell frequencies were increased during remission. Furthermore, transferred Tfh-skewed cells polarized in vitro induced mild clinical symptoms in B6.Rag1−/− mice. We identified significantly higher levels of Tfh cells in the dura mater than in the CNS both in C57BL/6 and in SJL/J mice. Overall, our study emphasizes diverse, non-static roles of Tfh cells during autoimmune neuroinflammation.