Back to Search
Start Over
Thymic Selection of T Cells as Diffusion with Intermittent Traps.
- Source :
- Journal of Statistical Physics; Mar2011, Vol. 142 Issue 6, p1277-1286, 10p, 1 Diagram, 3 Graphs
- Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- T cells orchestrate adaptive immune responses by recognizing short peptides derived from pathogens, and by distinguishing them from self-peptides. To ensure the latter, immature T cells (thymocytes) diffuse within the thymus gland, where they encounter an ensemble of self-peptides presented on (immobile) antigen presenting cells. Potentially autoimmune T cells are eliminated if the thymocyte binds sufficiently strongly with any such antigen presenting cell. We model thymic selection of T cells as a random walker diffusing in a field of immobile traps that intermittently turn 'on' and 'off'. The escape probability of potentially autoimmune T cells is equivalent to the survival probability of such a random walker. In this paper we describe the survival probability of a random walker on a d-dimensional cubic lattice with randomly placed immobile intermittent traps, and relate it to the result of a well-studied problem where traps are always 'on'. Additionally, when switching between the trap states is slow, we find a peculiar caging effect for the survival probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- T cells
IMMUNE response
PEPTIDES
ANTIGEN presenting cells
IMMUNOCOMPETENT cells
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00224715
- Volume :
- 142
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Statistical Physics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 59903964
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10955-011-0144-8