Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Flow Cytometry Protocols for Surface and Intracellular Antigen Analyses of Neural Cell Types
Published on: December 18, 2014
[Lymphocyte surface antigens in the peripheral blood. Detection by flow cytometry. Applications to the immune system
E Martini1, C Gastal, J Y Muller
1Centre Régional de Transfusion Sanguine, Nantes, France.
Insights
Flow cytometry analyzes single cells for size, granularity, and fluorescent markers, aiding in immunological status evaluation. This technique is crucial for diagnosing various immune system disorders.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
Context:
- Flow cytometry is a powerful technique for analyzing single cells.
- It provides detailed morphological and marker information.
- Cells are analyzed as they pass through a focused laser beam.
Purpose:
- To characterize cell morphology and identify cell markers using flow cytometry.
- To enable immunologic phenotyping through fluorescence detection.
- To evaluate B and T cell subclasses for immunological status assessment.
Summary:
- Flow cytometry uses light scattering for size and granularity information.
- Fluorescence detection identifies specific cell markers, such as those tagged by antibodies.
- Dual fluorescence analysis allows detection of two antigens on a single cell.
Impact:
- Clinical immunophenotyping aids in diagnosing human diseases, including immunodeficiency and autoimmune disorders.
- Detects immunophenotypic changes associated with congenital and acquired immune deficiencies.
- Provides critical insights into the immunological status in various pathological conditions.
Abstract:
A flow cytometer enables observation of single cells providing morphological characterization of the cell and identification of cell markers. The cells pass a detection point where they are striked by a sharply focused beam. Light scattering by the cells gives informations about size and granularity. Detection of fluorescence emission permits identification of fluorescent tag such as antibodies. Flow cytometric analysis of immunologic phenotyping allows interpretation of weak fluorescence intensity and detection of two antigens on a single cell with dual fluorescence analysis. Evaluation of B and T cells and their subclasses from whole blood preparations, provides informations of immunological status. Immunophenotyping at the clinical level has been used in a variety of human diseases; immunophenotypic changes have been observed in congenital and acquired immunodeficiency syndromes and auto-immune disorders.
