A preliminary mathematical model of skin dendritic cell trafficking and induction of T cell immunity

Pages: 323 - 336, Volume 12, Issue 2, September 2009

doi:10.3934/dcdsb.2009.12.323       Abstract        Full Text (544.8K)       Related Articles

Amy H. Lin Erickson - Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, United States (email)
Alison Wise - Department of Biostatistics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States (email)
Stephen Fleming - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand (email)
Margaret Baird - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand (email)
Zabeen Lateef - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand (email)
Annette Molinaro - Biostatistics Division, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States (email)
Miranda Teboh-Ewungkem - Department of Mathematics, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, United States (email)
Lisette dePillis - Department of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711, United States (email)

Abstract: Chronic inflammation is a process where dendritic cells (DCs) are constantly sampling antigen in the skin and migrating to lymph nodes where they induce the activation and proliferation of T cells. The T cells then travel back to the skin where they release cytokines that induce/maintain the inflammatory condition. This process is cyclic and ongoing. We created a differential equations model to reflect the initial stages of the inflammatory process. In particular, we modeled antigen stimulation of DCs in the skin, movement of DCs from the skin to a lymph node, and the subsequent activation of T cells in the lymph node. The model was able to simulate DC and T cell responses to antigen introduction taking place within realistic time scales. The goal of such a preliminary model is simply to be able to capture biologically realistic dynamics. Future models can then build on this preliminary model in directions that can potentially allow not only for model validation, but for predictions and hypothesis testing.

Keywords:  Dendritic cells, antigen, differential equations, immunology modeling.
Mathematics Subject Classification:  Primary: 92C50; Secondary: 92B05.

Received: September 2008;      Revised: April 2009;      Published: July 2009.