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Evaluation of Cytokine Production at the Single Cell Level by Flow Cytometry Upon Polyclonal Stimulation
1Maurice Müller Laboratories (Department of Biomedical Research), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. jakob.zimmermann@dbmr.unibe.ch.
Insights
Characterizing T helper (Th) cells involves assessing their cytokine production. This chapter details a method using polyclonal restimulation, intracellular staining, and flow cytometry to analyze Th cell cytokine potential.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- T helper (Th) cells are crucial immune cells.
- Cytokine expression is a key characteristic of Th cells.
- Understanding Th cell function requires analyzing their cytokine profiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a method for assessing Th cell cytokine-producing potential.
- To enable detailed characterization of Th cell responses.
Main Methods:
- Polyclonal restimulation of Th cells.
- Intracellular cytokine staining.
- Flow cytometry analysis.
Main Results:
- The described method effectively reveals the cytokine-producing potential of Th cells.
- Flow cytometry allows for quantitative analysis of cytokine expression.
Conclusions:
- Polyclonal restimulation combined with intracellular staining and flow cytometry is a robust approach for Th cell characterization.
- This technique facilitates the study of Th cell function and immune responses.
Abstract:
An important hallmark for the characterisation of Th cells is their capacity for cytokine expression. In this chapter, we describe how Th cells can be restimulated polyclonally to reveal their cytokine-producing potential that can then be analysed by intracellular staining and flow cytometry.
