Assembly of a spatial circuit of T-bet-expressing T and B lymphocytes is required for antiviral humoral immunity

Abstract

Effective antiviral immunity requires generation of T and B lymphocytes expressing the transcription factor T-bet, a regulator of type 1 inflammatory responses. Using T-bet expression as an endogenous marker for cells participating in a type 1 response, we report coordinated interactions of T-bet-expressing T and B lymphocytes on the basis of their dynamic colocalization at the T cell zone and B follicle boundary (T-B boundary) and germinal centers (GCs) during lung influenza infection. We demonstrate that the assembly of this circuit takes place in distinct anatomical niches within the draining lymph node, guided by CXCR3 that enables positioning of T_H1 cells at the T-B boundary. The encounter of B and T_H1 cells at the T-B boundary enables IFN-γ produced by the latter to induce IgG2c class switching. Within GCs, T-bet⁺ T_FH cells represent a specialized stable sublineage required for GC growth but dispensable for IgG2c class switching. Our studies show that during respiratory viral infection, T-bet-expressing T and B lymphocytes form a circuit assembled in a spatiotemporally controlled manner that acts as a functional unit enabling a robust and coherent humoral response tailored for optimal antiviral immunity.