Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2025
The Use of Carboxyfluorescein Diacetate Succinimidyl Ester CFSE to Monitor Lymphocyte Proliferation
Published on: October 12, 2010
A Comparison between LTT and CFSE Proliferation Tests in Patients with Inborn Errors of Adaptive Immunity
Tannaz Moeini Shad1,2, Nima Taghizadeh1,2, Samaneh Delavari1,2
1Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Children's Medical Center Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
The carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) assay is a practical and reliable method for assessing lymphocyte proliferation in patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI), aiding in immunologic diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Clinical diagnostics
- Genetic disorders
Background:
- Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) encompass a range of conditions impacting cellular and humoral immunity.
- Accurate assessment of lymphocyte proliferation is crucial for diagnosing IEI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of the lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) and carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) assay.
- To evaluate these assays in assessing lymphocyte proliferation in patients with various inborn errors of immunity.
Main Methods:
- Lymphocyte proliferation was measured using radioactive [3H]-thymidine (LTT) and non-radioactive CFSE.
- Three patient groups were studied: syndromic CID (SyCID), non-syndromic combined immunodeficiency (N-SyCID), and primary antibody deficiency (PAD).
Main Results:
- CFSE detected more cases of abnormal lymphocyte proliferation (23) than LTT (8).
- CFSE identified more defects in SyCID and PAD groups, while LTT was more sensitive in the N-SyCID group.
- Specific genetic mutations, like in the ORAI1 gene, influenced test outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The CFSE assay is a dependable and practical tool for evaluating T-cell responses in unclassified IEI patients.
- CFSE aids in confirming immunologic diagnoses for individuals with inborn errors of immunity.
Background:
Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) include immunodeficiencies affecting cellular and humoral immunity.
Objectives:
We aimed to compare the effectiveness of the lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) and carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) assays in assessing lymphocyte proliferation in IEI patients.
Methods:
We utilized radioactive (3H)-thymidine and non-radioactive CFSE to measure lymphocyte proliferation in three distinct groups: syndromic CID (SyCID), non-syndromic combined immunodeficiency (N-SyCID), and primary antibody deficiency (PAD).
Results:
LTT identified 8 cases of abnormal lymphocyte proliferation among all patients, whereas CFSE detected 23 cases. In the N-SyCID group, LTT identified more abnormalities than CFSE, whereas, in the SyCID and PAD groups, CFSE detected more defects. Two patients with ataxia telangiectasia and CVID had positive results on both LTT and CFSE tests, and a specific ORAI1 gene mutation resulted in differing test outcomes.
Conclusion:
It was found that the CFSE method is a reliable and practical choice for measuring mitogenic T-cell responses in unclassified IEI patients for confirmation of immunologic diagnosis.
