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Fate Decisions of CD4+ T Cells

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Case Studies in Systems Biology

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Abstract

The adaptive immune system in vertebrates plays key roles in response against pathogenic challenges. The adaptive immune response involves differentiation and activation of several types of memoryenabling immune cells, including T cells and B cells. A group of T cells with surface marker CD4 coordinate immune responses by activating and modulating other immune cells. Specific immune responses mounted by CD4+ T cells depend on the subtypes of these T cells. Several subtypes of CD4+ T cells have been identified to date, and their differentiation is marked by expression of signature cytokines and lineage-defining master transcription factors. It has been observed that multiple subtypes of CD4+ T cells can be generated through differentiation of a single population of progenitor (naïve) CD4+ T cells, and that co-expression of master transcription factors can occur in differentiated CD4+ T cells. In this chapter, we use mathematical models describing interactions of the master transcription factors to understand the mechanisms underlying the differentiation of heterogeneous populations of CD4+ T cells. We show that positive feedback loops involving master regulators and their connectivity to differentiation stimulants govern both the robust fate decisions of individual CD4+ T cells and the diversity of the differentiated cell population with multiple, synergistic functions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genome Science and Technology Program, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Andrew Willems

  2. Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Tian Hong

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  1. Andrew Willems
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  2. Tian Hong
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Correspondence to Tian Hong .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Academy of Integrated Science, Division of Systems Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Pavel Kraikivski

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Willems, A., Hong, T. (2021). Fate Decisions of CD4+ T Cells. In: Kraikivski, P. (eds) Case Studies in Systems Biology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67742-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67742-8_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-67741-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-67742-8

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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