Learning the principles of T cell antigen discernment

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Bourassa, François X. P., Achar, Sooraj, Altan-Bonnet, Grégoire, François, Paul
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Bourassa, François X. P.
Achar, Sooraj
Altan-Bonnet, Grégoire
François, Paul
author_facet Bourassa, François X. P.
Achar, Sooraj
Altan-Bonnet, Grégoire
François, Paul
contents T cells are central to the adaptive immune response, capable of detecting pathogenic antigens while ignoring healthy tissues with remarkable specificity and sensitivity. Quantitatively understanding how T cell receptors (TCRs) discriminate among antigens requires biophysical models and theoretical analysis of signaling networks. Here, we review current theoretical frameworks of antigen recognition in the context of modern experimental and computational advances. Antigen potency spans a continuum and exhibits nonlinear effects within complex mixtures, challenging discrete classification and simple threshold-based models. This complexity motivates the development of models such as adaptive kinetic proofreading, which integrate both activating and inhibitory signals. Advances in high-throughput technologies now generate large-scale, quantitative datasets, enabling the refinement of such models through statistical and machine learning approaches. This convergence of theory, data, and computation promises deeper insights into immune decision-making and opens new avenues for rational immunotherapy design.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_18626
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Learning the principles of T cell antigen discernment
Bourassa, François X. P.
Achar, Sooraj
Altan-Bonnet, Grégoire
François, Paul
Molecular Networks
Cell Behavior
Quantitative Methods
T cells are central to the adaptive immune response, capable of detecting pathogenic antigens while ignoring healthy tissues with remarkable specificity and sensitivity. Quantitatively understanding how T cell receptors (TCRs) discriminate among antigens requires biophysical models and theoretical analysis of signaling networks. Here, we review current theoretical frameworks of antigen recognition in the context of modern experimental and computational advances. Antigen potency spans a continuum and exhibits nonlinear effects within complex mixtures, challenging discrete classification and simple threshold-based models. This complexity motivates the development of models such as adaptive kinetic proofreading, which integrate both activating and inhibitory signals. Advances in high-throughput technologies now generate large-scale, quantitative datasets, enabling the refinement of such models through statistical and machine learning approaches. This convergence of theory, data, and computation promises deeper insights into immune decision-making and opens new avenues for rational immunotherapy design.
title Learning the principles of T cell antigen discernment
topic Molecular Networks
Cell Behavior
Quantitative Methods
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.18626