The microRNA cluster miR-17∼92 promotes TFH cell differentiation and represses subset-inappropriate gene expression

The robust generation of high-affinity antibodies by germinal center B cells requires help provided by T FH cells. Ansel and Xiao and their colleagues show that the microRNA family miR-17~92 regulates the differentiation and function of T FH cells. Follicular helper T cells (T FH cells) are the prototypic helper T cell subset specialized to enable B cells to form germinal centers (GCs) and produce high-affinity antibodies. We found that expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) by T cells was essential for T FH cell differentiation. More specifically, we show that after immunization of mice with protein, the miRNA cluster miR-17∼92 was critical for robust differentiation and function of T FH cells in a cell-intrinsic manner that occurred regardless of changes in proliferation. In a viral infection model, miR-17∼92 restrained the expression of genes 'inappropriate' to the T FH cell subset, including the direct miR-17∼92 target Rora . Removal of one Rora allele partially 'rescued' the inappropriate gene signature in miR-17∼92-deficient T FH cells. Our results identify the miR-17∼92 cluster as a critical regulator of T cell–dependent antibody responses, T FH cell differentiation and the fidelity of the T FH cell gene-expression program.