Systematic simulation of cross-reactivity predicts ambiguity in Tk memory: It may save lives of the infected, but limits specificities vital for further responses

Abstract

The present study uses the agent-based model IMMSIM to simulate immune responses to a viral infection, with a focus on the impact of preformed memory (homologous and heterologous) on the quality and the efficacy of the response. The in machina results confirm the observed thwarting of new, naïve responses exerted by cross-reacting memory, but they also reveal that the competitive inhibition is made possible by the different time frame used by the primary and the secondary response, a well-known fact, epitomized by the interval of about 75 time steps between their peaks. This novel finding justifies the depression of naïve responses and the long-term consequences it could bring about and the role of memory as a player in a survival of the fittest game.

Keywords::

• Cross-reacting memory
• dynamic competition
• clonal dominance

Acknowledgements

The copyright on the code of IMMSIM-C utilized throughout the research belongs to R. Puzone and his employer, IST (National Institute for Cancer Research).

Declaration of interest: Research in this publication was supported by NIH/NIAID through grant R01-A1054455 awarder to F. Celada. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.