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Maturation of the immune response: A computational model
- Source :
- Journal of Theoretical Biology. 133:409-428
- Publication Year :
- 1988
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 1988.
-
Abstract
- Experimental studies of the effect on antibody affinity of antigen dose and time after immunization show that average affinity increases progressively with time after immunization, and that this increase is greater at lower doses of antigen. In this paper we describe a polyclonal computer model of the immune system that yields all the essential phenomena of affinity maturation, including dose-dependency. Our main findings are (1) the dose-dependency relationship is not produced when typical assumptions regarding B-cell populations and binding reactions are employed, and (2) it is possible to reproduce this dependency by assuming two classes of lymphocytes: generalists and specialists. Generalists have a low threshold for response and produce antibody of low effectiveness, whereas specialists have a high threshold for response, and produce highly effective antibody. We make an analogy between the generalists and a pioneer species in ecological succession, and suggest how the generalists may contribute to a more effective defense against real infections.
- Subjects :
- Statistics and Probability
Time Factors
General Immunology and Microbiology
Applied Mathematics
Antibody Affinity
Immunity
Antibody affinity
General Medicine
Biology
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Affinity maturation
Immune system
Immunization
Antigen
Polyclonal antibodies
Modeling and Simulation
Immunology
biology.protein
Humans
Computer Simulation
Lymphocytes
Antibody
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00225193
- Volume :
- 133
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Theoretical Biology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....fde2daccf8f54f3e8352aa68ce1ca423