CD4+ T cells help orchestrate adaptive immune responses to gastroenteric infections. Upon antigenic stimulation, naïve CD4+ T cells differentiate into at least four functionally distinct subsets: T helper (Th) 1, Th2, Th17, and induced regulatory T cells (iTreg). The mechanisms of action underlying CD4+ T cell-mediated protection against enteric pathogen infections are only beginning to be understood.

The CD4+ T cell differentiation process is controlled by complex transcription factor and cytokine networks crossregulated via multiple feedback loops. Mathematical and computational modeling is a useful tool for examining the dynamics of CD4+ T cell differentiation and uncovering novel regulatory mechanisms and intermediate steady states that control gut mucosal infections.

As a first step towards a more comprehensive evaluation of CD4+ T cell networks, MIEP has developed a model that mimics the dynamic behavior of the intracellular pathways controlling CD4+ T cell differentiation. MIEP’s CD4+ T cell COPASI model represents a valuable tool for in silico experimentation that can be applied to exploring the dynamical properties of CD4+ T cell subsets and may ultimately lead to novel and improved therapeutic strategies against enteric infections.