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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Isolation of CD4+ T-cells and Analysis of Circulating T-follicular Helper (cTfh) Cell Subsets from Peripheral Blood Using 6-color Flow Cytometry
Published on: January 7, 2019
[Study of lymphocyte subsets and its activated-molecules in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria]
Yuzhou Wang1, Yongji Wu, Zhinan Zhang
1Department of Respiration, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between subsets of lymphocytes and between its activated status and the clinical manifestations in patients with PNH, and to unfold immunological mechanism in the pathogenesis of PNH.
Methods:
The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from 18 PNH patients and 20 controls were separated into two subpopulations using anti-CD(59) monoclonal antibody combined with goat-anti-mouse IgG immunomagnetic beads. CD(3)(+), CD(4)(+) and CD(8)(+) lymphocyte subsets were detected by flow cytometry. In 6 newly diagnosed patients, phenotypes associated with T cell activation such as CD(28)(+)/CD(4)(+) or CD(8)(+) cells, CD(8)(+) CD(38)(+) cells, and HLA-DR(+)/CD(4)(+) or CD(8)(+), and NK (CD(3)(-) CD(16)(+)) cells were detected in the peripheral blood.
Result:
Patients with PNH showed significantly increased CD(3)(+) CD(8)(+)/CD(3)(+) CD(4)(+) ratio as compared with controls (1.22 +/- 0.51 vs 0.86 +/- 0.27, P < 0.05), and the CD(3)(+) CD(8)(+)/CD(3)(+) CD(4)(+) ratio in CD(59)(-) PBMC was higher than that in CD(59)(+) PBMC (2.31 +/- 1.56 vs 0.62 +/- 0.27, P < 0.05). The ratios of CD(4)(+) CD(28)(+)/CD(4)(+) markedly decreased and CD(8)(+)HLA-DR(+)/CD(8)(+) increased.
Conclusion:
Patients with PNH appear to have abnormalities in their lymphocytes. Increased ratios of CD(3)(+) CD(8)(+)/CD(3)(+) CD(4)(+) and HLA-DR(+) CD(8)(+)/CD(8)(+) lymphocytes as well as declined ratio of CD(4)(+) CD(28)(+)/CD(4)(+) lymphocytes might be involved in the pathogenesis of PNH.

