PMID: 7547676Apr 1, 1995Paper

Modelling thymic functions in a cellular automaton

International Immunology
D MorpurgoFranco Celada

Abstract

Along the lines developed by Celada and Seiden, for simulating an immune system by means of cellular automata, we have constructed a 'thymus' where T cells undergo positive and negative selection. The populations thus 'matured' have been analyzed and their performance has been tested in machina. The key feature of this thymus is to allow chance meeting and possible interaction between newly born T cells and antigen presenting cells. The latter represent both the epithelial and the dendritic cells of the biological organ and are equipped with MHC molecules that can accommodate selected self peptides. All possible specificities are represented among the virgin T cells entering the thymus, but this diversity is drastically reduced by the time they exit as mature elements. In the model organ the fate of T cells, i.e. whether they will undergo proliferation or apoptosis, is governed by their capacity to recognize MHCs and the affinity of this interaction. Crucial parameters turn out to be the concentration of presenting cells, the number of types of MHC per cell, the 'size of self' in terms of the number of different peptides and their prevalence. According to the results, events in the automaton can realize unforeseen cooperations ...Continue Reading

Citations

Sep 6, 2001·Computers in Biology and Medicine·M Bernaschi, F Castiglione
Mar 24, 2012·Animal : an International Journal of Animal Bioscience·A B Doeschl-Wilson
Jun 18, 2002·Immunology and Cell Biology·M Bernaschi, F Castiglione
Jun 18, 2002·Immunology and Cell Biology·Nikolai Petrovsky, Vladimir Brusic
Apr 9, 2005·Bioinformatics·F PappalardoS Motta
Mar 21, 2007·Immunological Reviews·Yoram Louzoun
Mar 29, 2008·Journal of Theoretical Biology·M ShapiroD A Thorley-Lawson
Jun 15, 2016·Transplantation Reviews·Gustavo A Vásquez-MontoyaJuan P Hernández-Ortiz
Nov 1, 2007·Expert Review of Clinical Immunology·Matthias von Herrath, Paul Taylor
Jun 1, 1996·European Journal of Immunology·F Celada, P E Seiden
Jan 20, 2011·Autoimmunity·F CastiglioneN Rapin
Jul 25, 2019·Frontiers in Immunology·Filippo CastiglioneFranco Celada
Aug 7, 2021·Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences·Ruy Freitas ReisMarcelo Lobosco

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