Event
QLS Seminar Series - Kevin Thurley
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 12:00to13:00
Modeling cell-cell interaction networks and diffusion-limited cytokine signaling in T cell populations
Kevin Thurley, University of Bonn
Tuesday February 18, 12-1pm
Zoom Link:听
In Person: 550 Sherbrooke, Room 189
Abstract:听Immune responses are tightly regulated by a diverse set of interacting immune cell populations. We developed a general mathematical framework for the data-driven analysis of collective immune cell dynamics [1], and derived a specific mathematical model for T helper 1 versus T follicular helper cell-fate decision dynamics in acute and chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infections in mice. The model recapitulates important dynamical properties without model fitting rather by directly using measured response-time distributions. We further designed a three-dimensional spatio-temporal modeling framework, to systematically investigate the origin and consequences of spatially inhomogeneous cytokine distributions in lymphoid tissues [2]. We found that spatial cytokine inhomogeneities are critical for effective paracrine signaling, and they do not arise by diffusion and uptake alone, but rather depend on properties of the cell population such as an all-or-none behavior of cytokine secreting cells. Our simulations highlight the complex spatiotemporal dynamics imposed by cell-cell signaling with diffusible ligands, which entails a large potential for fine-tuned biological control especially if combined with feedback mechanisms.
[1] Burt P. and Thurley K., Distribution modeling quantifies collective TH cell decision circuits in chronic inflammation, Sci. Adv. 9: eadg7668, 2023.
[2] Brunner P., Kiwitz L., Li L., Thurley K., Diffusion-limited cytokine signaling in T cell populations, iScience 27:110134 (2024), .
