Publication

Graph Theory-Based Analysis of the Lymph Node Fibroblastic Reticular Cell Network

Journal Paper/Review - Jan 1, 2017

Units
PubMed
Doi

Citation
Novkovic M, Onder L, Bocharov G, Ludewig B. Graph Theory-Based Analysis of the Lymph Node Fibroblastic Reticular Cell Network. Methods Mol Biol 2017; 1591:43-57.
Type
Journal Paper/Review (English)
Journal
Methods Mol Biol 2017; 1591
Publication Date
Jan 1, 2017
Issn Electronic
1940-6029
Pages
43-57
Brief description/objective

Secondary lymphoid organs have developed segregated niches that are able to initiate and maintain effective immune responses. Such global organization requires tight control of diverse cellular components, specifically those that regulate lymphocyte trafficking. Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) form a densely interconnected network in lymph nodes and provide key factors necessary for T cell migration and retention, and foster subsequent interactions between T cells and dendritic cells. Development of integrative systems biology approaches has made it possible to elucidate this multilevel complexity of the immune system. Here, we present a graph theory-based analysis of the FRC network in murine lymph nodes, where generation of the network topology is performed using high-resolution confocal microscopy and 3D reconstruction. This approach facilitates the analysis of physical cell-to-cell connectivity, and estimation of topological robustness and global behavior of the network when it is subjected to perturbation in silico.