Chromatin accessibility profile of Tfh cells during intestinal helminth infection

The goal of this study was to define the regulation of Tfh cell response during intestinal helminth infection. Using the helminth Trichuris muris, we performed ATAC-seq analysis on Tfh cells that develop during acute vs chronic helminth infection. We found that the epigenetic profile of acute vs chronic induced Tfh cells are distinct by adopting Th2 and Th1 cell phenotypes, respectively. For example, Th2-associated genes such as the Il4 locus was more accessible in acute-induced Tfh cells (and vice versa for Th1-associated genes in chronic-induced Tfh cells). Mice were infected with acute (high dose, HD) and chronic (low dose, LD) Trichuris muris. At d21 post infection, messentric lymph node (mLN)-derived Tfh cells (CD4+ CD44hi FOXP3- Ly6C- CD162- PD-1+ CXCR5+), as well as naive Th cells (CD4+ FOXP3- CD44lo CD62Lhi ) from uninfected mice were sorted and purified, followed by DNA extraction and ATAC-seq analysis. 2 replicates were included for each group (acute & chronic Tfh cells, as well as naive CD4 T cells).