Autoimmunity arising from bystander proliferation of T cells in an immune response model

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2011

Authors

Burroughs, NJ (Author) Other; Ferreira, M (Author) Other; Bruno M P M Oliveira (Author) FCNAUP; Alberto A. Pinto (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Mathematical and Computer Modelling

Vol. 53 No. 7/8

Pages: 1389-1393

ISSN: 0895-7177

Publisher: Pergamon Press Ltd.

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 23 Citations

Scopus - 26 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-SGJ

DOI: 10.1016/j.mcm.2010.01.020

Abstract (EN): We study a mathematical model of immune response by T cells where the regulatory T cells (Treg) inhibit interleukin 2 secretion. The bystander proliferation to an immune response is modelled. We consider an asymmetry reflecting that the difference between the growth and death rates can be higher for the active T cells and Tregs than for the inactive. This asymmetry leads to a better understanding of the bystander proliferation. An exposure to a pathogen results in an increased proliferation rate of the bystander T cells. If the population of the bystander T cells becomes large enough, autoimmunity can arise, eventually after a long transient period.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 5