Quantification of Mediator Relevance in Immune Cell Network

Paolo Tieri, Silvana Valensin, Gastone Castellani, Daniel Remondini, Claudio Franceschi, Vito Latora, Massimo Marchiori

Abstract


Immune cell type communicates with other cell types through mediators (cytokines, chemokines, hormones). A quantitative analysis of the topological properties of such an immune network is still lacking. We present a method for quantifying the relevance of mediators in the human immune network, based on the concept of efficient communication. The analysis indicates that mediators differ in the relevance: cytokines involved in innate immunity and inflammation and some hormones rank highest in the network, revealing that the most prominent mediators of the immune system (IS) are molecules involved in ancestral types of defence mechanisms highly integrated with the adaptive IS.

[DOI: 10.1685/CSC06145] About DOI

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1685/



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