A quantitative model suggests immune memory involves the colocalization of B and Th cells.
A prominent and essential feature of the humoral immune response of vertebrates is immunologic memory: the ability to recall previous exposure to antigen. We present a mathematical model of the growth and interactions of the major cell populations involved in the humoral immune response. Our analysis of this model predicts that the formation of a dynamic association between small numbers of antigen-specific B and Th cells, "colocalization", is sufficient to account for memory and the kinetics of the secondary response--neither specifically differentiated Th or B memory cells nor networks of antigen and anti-idiotypes are required. The colocalization hypothesis explains a number of existing experimental observations and can be tested by straightforward experiments which we describe.
Antia
R
R
Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Levin
B
B
Williamson
P
P
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation / Q000276:immunology; D008954:Models, Biological; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens