Schwartzberg/Locci

Project Title

Regulation of T follicular helper cell biology by long non-coding RNAs

NIH Mentor

Pamela Schwartzberg

Penn Mentor

Michela Locci

Project Details

T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are crucial regulators of long-lasting, affinity matured B cell responses. Despite much efforts were devoted over the past decade at identifying the major regulators of Tfh cell biology, we still have a partial understanding of the signals shaping the Tfh cell fate, as suggested by the fact that it is only possible to partially recapitulate the differentiation of Tfh cells in vitro. Long non-coding RNA are RNAs with regulatory functions that have been described to regulate multiple immune cells and processes. Herein, by adopting a CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene editing approach in primary mouse T cells combined with adoptive transfer approaches, we seek to uncover long non-coding RNAs playing a fundamental role in the differentiation and function of Tfh cells during viral infection and vaccination. The knowledge gained in this study will further our understanding of the processes regulating the biology of Tfh cells and could have important implications for the therapeutic regulation of these cells in viral infection, vaccination and beyond.