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Altered follicular immunity in secondary lymphoid organs is associated with interferon hyperactivity in Down syndrome

Dutto, J.; Bustos, J.; Boffelli, L.; Tosello-Boari, J.; Kienzler, J. C.; Araya, P.; Dhooge, S.; Guirado, A. F.; Biasi, P.; Baigorri, R. E.; Valeriani, C.; Richer, W.; Montes, C. d. C.; Cecconi, V.; Becher, B.; Espinosa, J. M.; Piaggio, E.; Nunez, N. G.; Maccioni, M.

2026-08-09 immunology
10.64898/2026.08.04.741562 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Down syndrome, caused by trisomy 21, is characterized by chronic interferon-associated inflammation and immune dysregulation, yet the contribution of human secondary lymphoid organs to shaping this immune landscape remains unclear. Using multimodal single-cell and spatial profiling of human tonsils, we identify extensive remodeling of immune organization in trisomy 21. CD4 T cells are skewed away from canonical follicular helper (TFH) programs toward inflammatory TFH1-like and cytotoxic helper states enriched for interferon-responsive transcriptional programs. Tonsillar TFH cells exhibit increased interferon-{gamma} and interleukin-21 production, indicating inflammatory skewing toward type 1 helper immunity. These alterations are accompanied by changes in dendritic cell and CD8 T-cell compartments, reduced follicular size, increased extrafollicular TFH1-B-cell proximity and altered B-cell differentiation trajectories. Together, our findings identify trisomy 21 as a unique human context to investigate how chronic interferon-associated inflammation reshapes lymphoid tissue organization and adaptive immune cell fate decisions.

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