CyTOF mass cytometry analysis of human memory CD4⁺ T cells and memory B cells

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Cellular Biology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• High-dimensional mass cytometry offers deep insights into immune system cellular composition.
• Understanding memory T and B cell responses is crucial for infectious disease research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail a mass cytometry protocol for analyzing memory CD4+ T cell and memory B cell (MBC) responses in human peripheral blood.
• To enable the identification of distinct immune cell populations for infectious disease research.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of a mass cytometry-based protocol.
• Analysis of human peripheral blood samples.
• Identification of >50 distinct memory CD4+ T cell and MBC populations.

Main Results:

• A highly reproducible protocol for examining memory CD4+ T cell and MBC responses was established.
• The protocol successfully identified over 50 distinct cell populations from single samples.
• The method has been applied to infectious disease settings to identify infection correlates.

Conclusions:

• The described mass cytometry protocol provides a robust method for detailed immune cell profiling.
• This approach facilitates the identification of biomarkers for susceptibility or protection in infectious diseases.
• The protocol is valuable for advancing research in immunology and infectious disease pathogenesis.