IMMU Subgroup Contributed Talks

Hwai-Ray Tung

University of Utah

"Missed an antibiotic dose - what to do?"

What should you do if you miss a dose of antibiotics? Despite the prevalence of missed antibiotic doses, there is vague or little guidance on what to do when a dose is forgotten. In this paper, we consider the effects of different patient responses after missing a dose using a mathematical model that links antibiotic concentration with bacteria dynamics. We show using simulations that, in some circumstances, (a) missing just a few doses can cause treatment failure, and (b) this failure can be remedied by simply taking a double dose after a missed dose. We then develop an approximate model that is analytically tractable and use it to understand when it might be advisable to take a double dose after a missed dose.

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Montana Ferita

University of Utah

"Surfing the Actin Wave: Mathematical Modeling of Natural Killer Cell Synapse Formation"

Natural killer (NK) cells are members of the innate immune system and are proving to be a lethal weapon against cancer. To unlock the full power of NK cells, we must first address the central question: How does an NK cell recognize a malignant cell? To assess a target cell, an NK cell forms an immunological synapse, which is the interaction zone between the two cells. Ligand-receptor binding within the synapse triggers downstream activating and inhibitory signaling pathways that integrate to control the actin cytoskeleton network. Dominating activating signals causes the NK cell’s actin network to reorganize which transports more receptors to the synapse, thereby generating a positive feedback loop. Mechanistically, activating signals lead to the activation of the Arp2/3 complex which creates a branched actin network. In return, the flow of this network drives the centripetal transport of receptors to the synapse. We propose an advection-diffusion model to capture this phenomenon. Furthermore, we test what ligand-receptor densities permit synapse formation.

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Madeleine Gastonguay

Johns Hopkins University

"Quantifying the dynamics of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus persistence"

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a causative agent of several lymphoproliferative diseases, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. These malignancies originate from latently infected B cells, where KSHV persists as extrachromosomal episomes. While the viral protein LANA is essential for viral maintenance during latency, the mechanisms enabling lifelong persistence remain unclear. To quantify episome dynamics, we developed a mathematical model of latent KSHV replication and segregation during cell division, and a statistical framework to infer viral dynamics from fluorescent microscopy images. We built a Gibbs sampler to extract episome counts from imperfectly resolved images of pre- and post-division cells. Using these counts, we estimate the efficiency of replication and segregation, propagating imaging uncertainty into our parameter estimates. Our framework, validated on synthetic data, provided similar estimates of replication efficiency (78%, 95% CI [53%, 90%]) and segregation efficiency (91% [78%, 100%]) when applied to fixed and live images of cells transfected with either full-length KSHV or a minimal plasmid capable of episome maintenance. Simulations of a dividing cell population showed that imperfect replication and segregation preclude decades-long persistence without the assistance of additional mechanisms such as cell-survival benefits to infection or occasional lytic replication. We also modeled KSHV-dependent malignancies to evaluate episome replication and segregation as targets to control tumor growth. Simulations revealed that reducing replication effectively disrupts tumor growth, with the required reduction dependent on cell division kinetics. Our results suggest that KSHV employs a partitioning mechanism, as opposed to random segregation, though replication and segregation are imperfect. Furthermore, targeting episome replication may offer a viable strategy to reduce tumor burden in KSHV-associated malignancies.

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Kathryn Lynch

University of Utah

"Genetic regulation of vibrio vulnificus hemolysin drives population heterogeneity"

Individual bacterium make decisions at a genetic level as a result of various types of gene regulation; this process plays out on a population level to inform colony growth. Vibrio vulnificus is an opportunistic Gramnegative marine pathogen with a limiting growth factor of iron. Compared to other foodborne pathogens, Vibrio vulnificus has a high mortality rate and relatively poorly understood virulence mechanisms. When inside a human host, this bacteria utilizes heme as a source of iron, necessitating the ability to turn pieces of the heme acquisition system off and on in response to various environmental signals. As establishment of infection depends on Vibrio vulnificus’s ability to change from a marine to human environment, the ability to switch on the heme-intake system is an important part of establishment of initial infection. One such part of this system is the hemolysin VvhA. This toxin is excreted by the bacterium to lyse erythrocytes, thereby releasing heme into the extracellular environment where the bacteria can use it as a source of iron. This toxin is regulated by a complex set of factors including nutrient availability and quorum sensing. Exploring this gene regulatory network via bifurcation analysis reveals a complex bifurcation structure. These dynamics allow an individual bacterium to integrate a variety of signals in response to a changing environment. In particular, bistability in the system points to the likelihood of a heterogenous bacterial colony, where many bacteria benefit from a smaller number of hemolysin producers. This allows for modeling both a heterogeneous population and incorporation of the physiological mechanism by which cells make the decision to switch states. The interdependence between toxin production, nutrient availability, and colony growth result in interplay between the bacteria and their environment, allowing for insights into the overall course of infection.

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