Tfh Cells and Auto-Immunity: Generalities These tissue-localized T–B-cell interactions which can promote the maturation of B cells and can potentiate the production of pathogenic autoantibodies (68), even if the exact nature of helper T cells in inflamed tissues is not completely understood currently.

Summary. Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells are specialized providers of T cell help to B cells, and are essential for germinal center formation, affinity maturation, and the development of most high affinity antibodies and memory B cells.

A specialized subset of differentiated CD4 T cells, follicular helper T (Tfh) cells, are required in the germinal center (GC) reaction to help B cells generate high-affinity Abs to Ag (1, 2). Tfh cells control the initiation as well as the outcome of the GC B cell response (3–6).

Follicular helper T-cell lymphomas (TFHL) have an aggressive course with a poor outcome. European and US guidelines recommend anthracycline-based chemotherapy as a first-line treatment, but the 5-year overall survival rate is still approximately 30%.