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Phenotyping Tumor-Associated Macrophages

R Ian Cumming1, Yen-Rei A Yu2

  • 1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|May 16, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This study presents a flow cytometry method to analyze immune cells in tumor tissues. The approach enables detailed characterization of immune cell composition and function, including tumor-associated macrophages.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Cellular Biology

Background:

  • Tumor microenvironment research requires detailed immune cell analysis.
  • Current methods for immune cell characterization in nonlymphoid tissues can be complex.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe a standardized multi-parametric flow cytometry approach.
  • To enable comprehensive immune cell profiling in tumor-bearing murine nonlymphoid tissues.
  • To facilitate the phenotyping of tumor-associated macrophages.

Main Methods:

  • Processing of nonlymphoid tissues from tumor-bearing mice.
  • Utilizing a base antibody panel for broad immune cell identification.
  • Single staining condition for simultaneous analysis of multiple immune cell types.

Main Results:

  • Successful characterization of major immune cell types within nonlymphoid tissues.
  • Demonstration of the panel's utility for phenotyping tumor-associated macrophages.
  • Provides a foundation for examining immune cell composition, phenotype, and function.

Conclusions:

  • The described flow cytometry approach offers an efficient method for immune cell analysis in tumor tissues.
  • This technique aids in understanding the immune landscape of the tumor microenvironment.
  • Facilitates deeper investigation into the role of specific immune cells, such as macrophages, in cancer.

Keywords:
Dendritic cellsFlow cytometryGranulocytesImmune cellsImmunophenotypingLymphocytesMacrophagesMonocytesMononuclear phagocytesTumor-associated macrophages

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