title: Time and length scales of autocrine signals in three dimensions.
abstract: A model of autocrine signaling in cultures of suspended cells is developed on the basis of the effective medium approximation. The fraction of autocrine ligands, the mean and distribution of distances traveled by paracrine ligands before binding, as well as the mean and distribution of the ligand lifetime are derived. Interferon signaling by dendritic immune cells is considered as an illustration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coppey
authors.forename: Alexander M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Berezhkovskii
authors.forename: Stuart C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Sealfon
authors.forename: Stanislav Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Shvartsman
mesh_terms: D019898:Autocrine Communication / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D007372:Interferons / Q000502:physiology; D008024:Ligands; D008954:Models, Biological; D019899:Paracrine Communication / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D007372:Interferons