M. Sahimi et al., DISCRETE STOCHASTIC-MODEL FOR SELF-RENEWAL AND DIFFERENTIATION OF PROGENITOR CELLS, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics, 55(3), 1997, pp. 2111-2114
We propose a discrete model for self-renewal and differentiation of he
matopoietic stem cells based on the notion that, in a favorable enviro
nment, the commitment of the cells to a particular pair of progeny is
a stochastic event with the possibility of either self-renewal or diff
erentiation. Regulatory mechanisms are incorporated into the model, as
is diffusion of the cytokines that carry the signals for such mechani
sms. The model can produce chaotic states, and is shown to be capable
of predicting some key features of the experimental data.