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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Jun 23.
Published in final edited form as: Sci Immunol. 2020 Nov 6;5(53):eabb9726. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abb9726

Figure 2. Role of Tcf1 in Th1 and Th17 differentiation and function.

Figure 2.

A) Naïve T cells express high levels of Tcf1, which are downregulated upon Th1 effector cell differentiation. A subset of effector Th1 will re-express Tcf1 acquiring a memory phenotype, which is later crucial to drive a second wave of Th1 effector response. B) Tcf1hi naïve T cells differentiate into Tcf1lo Th17 cells generating a first wave of effector cells. Tcf1 is then re-expressed in a subset of cells to generate a stem-like Th17 subset. This Th17 stem-like population can either self-renew (1); give rise to effector Th17, which mainly produce IL-17A, in response to environmental cues or asymmetric partitioning of Tcf1 (2); or produce highly tissue destructive Th17/Th1-like cells that are polyfunctional and can secrete IL-17A, IFNγ, GM-CSF, and TNFα (3).

Tcf, T cell factor; Th1, T helper 1; Th17, T helper 17; IL-17A, interleukin 17; IFNγ, interferon gamma; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; TNFα, tumor necrosis factor alpha.