November 5, 2015, 8:00am PT, 11:00am ET, 3:00pm GMT

T-cells form an integral part of the human immune system by fighting off infection and eliminating transformed cells. Over the last decades numerous T-cells subsets with different functions and abilities have been identified (Farber et al. Nat Rev Immunol 2014). The wide spread use of monoclonal antibodies and multi-color flow cytometry allows for the routine identification of these subsets based on their immune-phenotype (Chattopadhyay et al. Cytometry 2012). However, the increasingly detailed understanding and the dynamic nature of different T-cell subsets also results in a dramatic increase in the complexity of the antibody panels used.

Here, we will demonstrate the identification of naïve, memory and effector T cells at various stages of differentiation, but also the detection of rare populations such as stem cell like memory T cells and different Treg subpopulations using a 13-color marker combination that allows for the identification of T cell subtypes according to classical and more recent characterization criteria. We will outline the panel design rational taking into account expression patterns as well as fluorochrome characteristics. The applied gating strategies will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Demonstrate the identification of naïve, memory and effector T cells at various stages of differentiation, but also the detection of rare populations such as stem cell like memory T cells
• Understand the panel design rationale, taking into account expression patterns as well as fluorochrome characteristics