Revising immune cell coordination: Origins and importance of single-cell variation
Laura C Van Eyndhoven1,2, Jurjen Tel1,2
1Laboratory of Immunoengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
European Journal of Immunology
|October 17, 2022
Summary
Single-cell analysis reveals complex immune cell coordination, challenging deterministic views. Understanding stochasticity and variation is key for immunoengineering and therapeutic development.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Systems Biology
- Bioengineering
Background:
- Single-cell technologies provide insights into immune cell activation and coordination.
- Interpreting complex single-cell data raises questions about immune response regulation and flexibility.
- The type I interferon system serves as a model for studying immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To revise basic concepts of single immune cell coordination.
- To redefine noise, stochasticity, and determinism in immune responses.
- To highlight the significance of single-cell variation in immunology.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature and recent advancements in immunoengineering.
- Analysis of the type I interferon system as a case study.
- Conceptual framework revision for immune cell coordination and variation.
Main Results:
- Immune responses involve a complex interplay between molecular determinants and stochasticity.
- Basic rules governing single-cell cooperation in tissue-level immunity are being elucidated.
- Single-cell variation plays a crucial role in immune system function and adaptability.
Conclusions:
- Revisiting concepts of noise, stochasticity, and determinism is essential for understanding immune responses.
- Single-cell variation is a fundamental aspect of immunology with broad implications.
- Further research into single-cell coordination can advance therapeutic strategies in immunoengineering.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Lineage Commitment
3.0K
Commitment is the process whereby stem cells:
3.0K
01:13Cell Diversity
3.5K
The concept of a cell started with microscopic observations of dead cork tissue by Robert Hooke in 1665. Hooke coined the term "cell" based on the resemblance of the small subdivisions in the cork to the rooms that monks inhabited, called cells. About ten years later, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to observe the living and moving cells under a microscope. In the century that followed, the theory that cells represented the basic unit of life developed.
Multicellular...
Multicellular...
3.5K
01:23Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response
3.3K
The T and B lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system develop from common lymphoid progenitor cells in the bone marrow. These progenitors give rise to precursors that eventually develop into both T and B lymphocytes. As these precursors mature, they gain the ability to detect and respond to foreign antigens in the body, a process known as immunocompetence. Additionally, these precursors acquire self-tolerance, a process that ensures they do not react to self-antigens. This intricate system...
3.3K
01:22T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
3.1K
T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
3.1K
01:28Cells of the Innate Immune Response
2.0K
The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
2.0K
02:21Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
12.5K
Cancer arises from mutations in the critical genes that allow healthy cells to escape cell cycle regulation and acquire the ability to proliferate indefinitely. Though originating from a single mutation event in one of the originator cells, cancer progresses when the mutant cell lines continue to gain more and more mutations, and finally, become malignant. For example, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) develops initially as a non-lethal increase in white blood cells, which progressively...
12.5K