Kinetics of T cell proliferation: a mathematical model and data analysis.

: A mathematical model of in vitro T cell proliferation controlled by IL-2 internalization is presented. The model describes the T cell transition from G1 to S+G2+M stages of the cell cycle and introduces "molecular" equations for the G1-S phase control. These equations consider current knowledge of the biochemical mechanisms of receptor synthesis, ligand-receptor binding, and internalization of ligand-receptor complexes. The model describes the kinetic data for in vitro T cell proliferation at various IL-2 concentrations (50-500 pM) for various exposure time (6-26 h). The kinetic parameters were calculated based on the model. The results obtained suggest that increase in the IL-2 concentration and exposures decrease the critical ligand-receptor concentration in the cells which control proliferation. The time tau, which characterizes the delay in the G1-S transition, was constant at various IL-2 concentrations.