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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
Multicolor Flow Cytometry Analyses of Cellular Immune Response in Rhesus Macaques
Published on: April 22, 2010
Surface phenotype and rapid quantification of blood dendritic cell subsets in the rhesus macaque
Kevin N Brown1, Simon M Barratt-Boyes
1Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, and Center for Vaccine Research, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
Insights
Characterizing dendritic cells (DCs) in rhesus macaques is crucial. A new flow cytometry assay allows rapid quantification of myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs in blood, aiding research.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Primate Research
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Dendritic cell (DC) biology in rhesus macaques is vital for research.
- Current understanding is limited by incomplete characterization and lack of rapid quantification assays.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the surface phenotype of myeloid (mDC) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC) subsets in rhesus macaque blood.
- To develop a rapid flow cytometry-based assay for absolute DC quantification.
Main Methods:
- Surface phenotype characterization of rhesus macaque blood DCs.
- Development of a two-step flow cytometry assay using whole blood and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL).
Main Results:
- Defined surface markers for myeloid DCs (CD11c(+), CD16(+), CD11b(+), CD56(lo), CD8(-), CD1c(-)) and plasmacytoid DCs (CD123(+)).
- Established a precise assay for absolute DC determinations in rhesus macaque blood.
Conclusions:
- Specific antibodies (CD11b, CD56, CD16) must be excluded from lineage cocktails to avoid excluding DCs.
- The developed assay enables rapid and repeated monitoring of blood DC counts in rhesus macaques.
Background:
The study of dendritic cell (DC) biology in the rhesus macaque is becoming increasingly important but is limited by incomplete characterization and the lack of a rapid assay to quantify cells.
Methods:
We characterized the surface phenotype of myeloid (mDC) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC) subsets in healthy rhesus macaque blood and developed a flow cytometry-based assay for absolute DC determinations.
Results:
Rhesus CD11c(+) mDC were CD16(+) CD11b(+) CD56(lo) CD8(-) CD1c(-) whereas CD123(+) pDC lacked expression of these markers. Precise DC determinations were performed using a rapid two-step assay combining the analysis of whole blood and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL).
Conclusions:
Antibodies to CD11b, CD56 and CD16 must be omitted from the lineage antibody cocktail to prevent inadvertent gating-out of DC when analyzing rhesus blood. The combined whole-blood/PBL quantification assay will be invaluable for the rapid and repeated monitoring of blood DC counts in this species.
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