Abstract
T cells begin their development as precursor cells in the bone marrow. These cells migrate to the thymus, where they further divide, differentiate, and mature into functional T cells. Most thymocytes (95-99%) die in the course of this process, and only relatively few exit the thymus as mature cells. Here we develop a differential equation model of cell proliferation, differentiation and death in the thymus that can account for both the total number of thymus cells and the fractions of various types of immature and mature thymocytes. Our model suggests that positive and negative selection may have more complex effects than simply deleting some cells and allowing others to survive.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 103-126 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Journal of Theoretical Biology |
| Volume | 175 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 7 Jul 1995 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:work was performed under the auspices of the U[S[ Department of Energy and supported by NIH grant AI17322\ the US Israel Binational Science Foundation Grant No[ 81!99060\ and the Santa Fe Institute through a Joseph P[ and Jeanne M[ Sullivan Foundation grant to their Theoretical Immunology program[
Funding
work was performed under the auspices of the U[S[ Department of Energy and supported by NIH grant AI17322\ the US Israel Binational Science Foundation Grant No[ 81!99060\ and the Santa Fe Institute through a Joseph P[ and Jeanne M[ Sullivan Foundation grant to their Theoretical Immunology program[
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health | AI17322 |
| Santa Fe Institute | |
| United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation | 99060 |