Computational Model Reveals a Stochastic Mechanism behind Germinal Center Clonal Bursts.

ABSTRACT: Germinal centers (GCs) are specialized compartments within the secondary lymphoid organs where B cells proliferate, differentiate, and mutate their antibody genes in response to the presence of foreign antigens. Through the GC lifespan, interclonal competition between B cells leads to increased affinity of the B cell receptors for antigens accompanied by a loss of clonal diversity, although the mechanisms underlying clonal dynamics are not completely understood. We present here a multi-scale quantitative model of the GC reaction that integrates an intracellular component, accounting for the genetic events that shape B cell differentiation, and an extracellular stochastic component, which accounts for the random cellular interactions within the GC. In addition, B cell receptors are represen

SUBMITTER: Pelissier A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7349200 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature