UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

A mechanistic model for naive CD4 T cell homeostasis in healthy adults and children

Hapuarachchi, T; Lewis, J; Callard, RE; (2013) A mechanistic model for naive CD4 T cell homeostasis in healthy adults and children. Frontiers in Immunology , 4 , Article 00366. 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00366. Green open access

[thumbnail of fimmu-04-00366.pdf]
Preview
PDF
fimmu-04-00366.pdf

Download (1MB)

Abstract

The size and composition of the T lymphocyte compartment is subject to strict homeostatic regulation and is remarkably stable throughout life in spite of variable dynamics in cell production and death during T cell development and immune responses. Homeostasis is achieved by careful orchestration of lymphocyte survival and cell division. New T cells are generated from the thymus and the number of peripheral T cells is regulated by controlling survival and proliferation. How these processes combine is however very complex. Thymic output increases in the first year of life and then decreases but is crucial for establishing repertoire diversity. Proliferation of new naive T cells plays a crucial role for maintaining numbers but at a potential cost to TCR repertoire diversity. A mechanistic two-compartment model of T cell homeostasis is described here that includes specific terms for thymic output, cell proliferation, and cell death of both resting and dividing cells. The model successfully predicts the homeostatic set point for T cells in adults and identifies variables that determine the total number of T cells. It also accurately predicts T cell numbers in children in early life despite rapid changes in thymic output and growth over this period.

Type: Article
Title: A mechanistic model for naive CD4 T cell homeostasis in healthy adults and children
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00366
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2013.00366
Language: English
Additional information: © 2013 Hapuarachchi, Lewis and Callard. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Keywords: CD4 T cells, children, homeostasis, mathematical modeling, mechanistic modeling, naive T cells
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1416689
Downloads since deposit
122Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item