Modeling the Dynamics of T Helper 17 Induction and Differentiation

Abstract

Background: CD4+ T cells play important roles in orchestrating immune responses, maintaining homeostasis and offering a functional control of immune responses. Depending on the cytokine milieu, a naïve CD4+ T cell differentiates into different phenotypes. The T helper 17 (Th17) phenotype remains controversial since it has been identified as an inductor of inflammation, but it contributes to the regulatory arm of the immune response. With the increased availability of high-throughput datasets, data-driven computational modeling built upon a robust conceptual base becomes a powerful tool to build predictive, counterintuitive, dynamic gene expression networks.