Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Quantification of Proliferating Human Antigen-specific CD4+ T Cells using Carboxyfluorescein Succinimidyl Ester
Published on: June 4, 2019
Flow cytometric analysis of some activation/proliferation markers on human thymocytes and their correlation with cell
O Babusíková1, V Ondrácková, J Prachar
1Cancer Research Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava.
Insights
CD71 antigen may regulate thymocyte development. Aberrant co-expression of CD38 and CD71 on leukemia cells suggests an abnormal phenotype, not necessarily increased proliferation.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Hematology
Background:
- CD38 and CD71 are cell activation markers with increased expression in some leukemias.
- Understanding antigen expression on thymocytes aids leukemia classification.
- Activation markers like CD25, CD26, and HLA-DR are also relevant.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of CD38 and CD71 expression on human thymocytes.
- To determine if CD38 and CD71 expression on leukemia cells indicates proliferative ability or aberrant phenotype.
- To correlate antigen expression with cell proliferation and cell cycle.
Main Methods:
- Immunophenotyping of cells from ten human thymuses.
- Analysis of CD38, CD71, CD25, CD26, and HLA-DR expression.
- Measurement of Molecules of Equivalent Soluble Fluorochrome (MESF) values.
- Cell cycle analysis and in vitro thymocyte stimulation with PHA and IL-2.
Main Results:
- 94% of thymocytes were CD38+ and 16% were CD71+.
- CD71 expression correlated with cell proliferation only after in vitro stimulation.
- A positive correlation was observed between proliferation and CD71, CD25, CD26, HLA-DR, and a negative correlation with CD38.
Conclusions:
- CD71 may play a role in regulating thymocyte development.
- Co-expression of CD38 and CD71 on pathological cells likely represents an aberrant phenotype.
- Quantitative analysis of markers like CD71, CD25, CD26, and HLA-DR correlates with thymocyte proliferation post-stimulation.
Abstract:
We immunophenotyped cells from ten human thymuses with emphasis on expression of the CD38 and CD71 antigens. These antigens play role in activation cells and increased expression of them was observed in some leukemia. Simultaneously, certain attention has also been devoted to some further activation markers, e.g. CD25, CD26 and HLA-DR. The classification of leukemia is based on comparison of normal and pathological cells. The study of expression of CD38, CD71 and other markers on thymocytes simultaneously with DNA analysis can be useful for answer if expression of CD38 and CD71 on pathologic cells is a sign of their proliferative ability, a part of immature phenotype in some leukemia, or it is a case of aberrant immunophenotype. In our study, 94% thymocytes were CD38+ and only 16% were CD71+. From our immunophenotypic results including MESF (molecules of equivalent soluble fluorochrome) values and analysis of the cell cycle, the conclusion could be drawn that antigen CD71 can participate in regulation of thymocyte development and presence of both -CD38 and CD71 on pathologic cells will be in all probability the case of aberrant phenotype. We observed a clear correlation of the percentage and MESF values of CD71-positive cells with the cell proliferation only after in vitro thymocytes stimulation with PHA and IL-2. In summary, a strong parallelism was observed regarding the positive relationship between the proliferative rate (assessed by the number of S-phase cells) of stimulated thymocytes and the quantitative (% and MESF) values of some markers - CD71, CD25, CD26 and HLA-DR and negative one with CD38 marker values.
