Modeling of toxin-antibody interaction and toxin transport toward the endoplasmic reticulum.

A model for toxin-antibody interaction and toxin trafficking towards the endoplasmic-reticulum is presented. Antibody and toxin (ricin) initially are delivered outside the cell. The model involves: the pinocytotic (cellular drinking) and receptor-mediated toxin internalization modes from the extracellular into the intracellular domain, its exocytotic excretion from the cytosol back to the extracellular medium, the intact toxin retrograde transport to the endoplasmic reticulum, the anterograde toxin movement outward from the cell across the plasma membrane, the lysosomal toxin degradation, and the toxin clearance (removal from the system) flux. The model consists of a set of coupled PDEs. Using an averaging procedure, the model is reduced to a system of coupled ODEs. Both PDEs and ODEs systems are solved numerically. Numerical results are illustrated by figures and discussed.