Systemic Autoimmunity Remodels Microbiota-Reactive CD4⁺ T Cell Immunity
Abstract
The gut microbiota contributes to autoimmune disease, yet how systemic autoimmunity reshapes microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cell responses and how these cells influence disease progression remain poorly understood. Previous studies have linked microbiota-reactive T cells and lupus-associated pathobionts to disease pathogenesis, but the pathways that regulate the accumulation, differentiation, and pathogenicity of microbiota-reactive T cells during autoimmunity remain unclear. Here, we show that systemic autoimmunity drives the expansion, accumulation, and functional differentiation of microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells. Using segmented filamentous bacteria tetramers, we identify antigen-defined microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells that undergo systemic accumulation and Th1/Tfh polarization during disease. We further identify reactivation of intestinal dendritic cell trafficking as a mechanism linking systemic autoimmunity to the accumulation of microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells in peripheral tissues. In contrast to commensal-reactive T cells, CD4⁺ T cells conditioned by the lupus-associated pathobiont Enterococcus gallinarum markedly exacerbate autoimmunity following adoptive transfer through IL-21- and IFNγ-dependent mechanisms. Together, these findings demonstrate that systemic autoimmunity reshapes microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cell immunity and establish microbial context as a critical determinant of microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cell pathogenicity.
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells contribute to host defense and have been implicated in autoimmune diseases, but how systemic autoimmunity alters these responses has remained unclear. We show that systemic autoimmunity promotes the expansion, accumulation, and differentiation of microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells by reactivating intestinal dendritic cell trafficking. We further demonstrate that microbial context determines the pathogenic potential of these cells, with pathobiont-conditioned CD4⁺ T cells acquiring disease-promoting activity. These findings identify a mechanism by which chronic autoimmune inflammation reshapes host-microbiota adaptive immunity and influences disease progression.
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BibTeX
@misc{vaellaalarcon2026systemic,
title = {{Systemic Autoimmunity Remodels Microbiota-Reactive CD4⁺ T Cell Immunity}},
author = {Maricielo J. Vaella-Alarcon and Miki Kume and Silvia R. Davila-Paico and Luis F. Soto-Ugaldi and Katherine S. Saldana-Morales and Gillian L. McClennen and Jin Din and Samantha St Jean and Daniel F. Zegarra-Ruiz},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.17.759871},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.17.759871v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Systemic Autoimmunity Remodels Microbiota-Reactive CD4⁺ T Cell Immunity
AU - Maricielo J. Vaella-Alarcon
AU - Miki Kume
AU - Silvia R. Davila-Paico
AU - Luis F. Soto-Ugaldi
AU - Katherine S. Saldana-Morales
AU - Gillian L. McClennen
AU - Jin Din
AU - Samantha St Jean
AU - Daniel F. Zegarra-Ruiz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/17
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.17.759871
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.17.759871v1
AB - The gut microbiota contributes to autoimmune disease, yet how systemic autoimmunity reshapes microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cell responses and how these cells influence disease progression remain poorly understood. Previous studies have linked microbiota-reactive T cells and lupus-associated pathobionts to disease pathogenesis, but the pathways that regulate the accumulation, differentiation, and pathogenicity of microbiota-reactive T cells during autoimmunity remain unclear. Here, we show that systemic autoimmunity drives the expansion, accumulation, and functional differentiation of microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells. Using segmented filamentous bacteria tetramers, we identify antigen-defined microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells that undergo systemic accumulation and Th1/Tfh polarization during disease. We further identify reactivation of intestinal dendritic cell trafficking as a mechanism linking systemic autoimmunity to the accumulation of microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells in peripheral tissues. In contrast to commensal-reactive T cells, CD4⁺ T cells conditioned by the lupus-associated pathobiont Enterococcus gallinarum markedly exacerbate autoimmunity following adoptive transfer through IL-21- and IFNγ-dependent mechanisms. Together, these findings demonstrate that systemic autoimmunity reshapes microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cell immunity and establish microbial context as a critical determinant of microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cell pathogenicity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells contribute to host defense and have been implicated in autoimmune diseases, but how systemic autoimmunity alters these responses has remained unclear. We show that systemic autoimmunity promotes the expansion, accumulation, and differentiation of microbiota-reactive CD4⁺ T cells by reactivating intestinal dendritic cell trafficking. We further demonstrate that microbial context determines the pathogenic potential of these cells, with pathobiont-conditioned CD4⁺ T cells acquiring disease-promoting activity. These findings identify a mechanism by which chronic autoimmune inflammation reshapes host-microbiota adaptive immunity and influences disease progression.
SN - 2692-8205
ER -