Clonally Convergent Tph/Tfh-like CD4 + T Cells are Shared Across Recovery and Recurrence in Experimental Periodontitis
Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the tooth-supporting structures (periodontium) that requires life-long maintenance to prevent progression. Using a sensitized model of recurrent periodontitis in mice (SeRPD), in which regulatory breakdown was induced by temporary Treg depletion concurrent with disease, we mapped the gingival T cell imprint across each disease phase. Transient regulatory breakdown left a durable mucosal imprint after clinical recovery, characterized by enrichment of local and regional CD4⁺ T cells. Paired single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing of gingival immune cells identified a convergent clonotype expanded from recovery into recurrence that carried a Tfh/Tph-like transcriptional identity. An analogous CD4⁺ T cell population was detected in human periodontitis lesions by single-cell transcriptomics. Together, these findings support a paradigm in which clinical recovery does not ensure a local T cell repertoire reset; instead, a reservoir of antigen-experienced, tissue-adapted CD4⁺ T cells persist in the mucosa and participate in recurrence.
Highlights
-
The murine SeRPD model induced local and regional enrichment of antigen-experienced CD4 + T cells.
-
A clonally expanded convergent clonotype was shared in recovery and recurrence phases.
-
After clinical recovery, convergent CD4 + T clones expressed a Tfh/Tph-like program.
-
Human periodontitis lesions were associated with an analogous Tfh/Tph-like population.
In Brief
Sharma et al. show that periodontitis accompanied by regulatory breakdown, leaves a lasting, clonally expanded Tfh/Tph-like population within recovered gingiva that is also present during recurrence. A comparable CD4 + T cell-population was associated with human periodontitis, suggesting a memory reservoir for relapse.
Article activity feed
-
Clonally Convergent Tph/Tfh-like CD4+ T Cells are Shared Across Recovery and Recurrence in Experimental Periodontitis #SingleCell 🧪🧬🖥️ https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.04.760965v1
-
Clonally Convergent Tph/Tfh-like CD4+ T Cells are Shared Across Recovery and Recurrence in Experimental Periodontitis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.04.760965v1
-
Clonally Convergent Tph/Tfh-like CD4+ T Cells are Shared Across Recovery and Recurrence in Experimental Periodontitis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.04.760965v1
-
