Resource competition as a mechanism for B cell homeostasis.

A. R. Mclean (1, 2) , M. M. Rosado (2) , Fabien Agenes (2) , R. Vasconcellos (3) , Antonio A. Freitas (2)

1 Zoology Department
2 Dynamiques Lymphocytaires
3 Immunobiologie

Cellular competition for survival signals offers a cogent and appealing mechanism for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis [Raff, M. C. (1992) Nature (London) 356, 397-400]. We present a theoretical and experimental investigation of the role of competition for resources in the regulation of peripheral B cell numbers. We use formal ecological competition theory, mathematical models of interspecific competition, and competitive repopulation experiments to show that B cells must compete to persist in the periphery and that antigen forms a part of the resources over which B cells compete.

Domaines: Immunologie

A. R. Mclean, M. M. Rosado, Fabien Agenes, R. Vasconcellos, Antonio A. Freitas. Resource competition as a mechanism for B cell homeostasis.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1997, 94 (11), pp.5792-7. ⟨10.1073/pnas.94.11.5792⟩. ⟨pasteur-00329067⟩