Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Flashcards
What is flow cytometry used for?
To count and analyse the size, shape and properties of individual cells within a a heterogeneous population of cells
What does flow cytometry measure ?
The simultaneous measurement of multiple physical characteristics including size/ granularity/fluorescence of a single cell
Measurements made on what basis?
Per cell - 500 to 4000 cells per second in a moving fluid stream
Is flow cytometry data quantitative or qualitative?
Quantitative
What are the several key components of a flow cytometer?
The sample, fluidics, lasers, optics, detectors and a computer system
What do the fluidics do in a flow cytometer ?
Move the sample into the flow cytometer
what does the fluidics rely on?
light/fluorochromes etc
How is this fluidics achieved?
By injecting sample (clean single cell suspension) into the centre opening the close channel through which sheath fluid is flowing
What does the laser do?
Produces a coherent, plane-polarised, intense, narrow beam of light which is Monochromatic
Limitations of Laser
- Expensive
- Difficult to replace
- Require servicing
What do the optics do?
Gather the light, excitation source
Optics consists of what?
an excitation source and data collection optics
Optics consists of what?
an excitation source and data collection optics
What’s an arc lamp?
Glass bulb with 2 electrodes
glass envelope containing a gas or vapour at high pressure
An initial high voltage spark between two electrodes creates a plasma arc
Maintainedby the application of high current at a low voltage
Limitations of arc lamp
- Prone to flicker
- Average life span of clamps are short
What do the detectors do?
Sense the light
What does the computer system do?
Outputs the data into a form that can be analysed by the researcher
electronics allow for the conversion of what?
optical signals into electronic signals for data analysis
what’s the purpose of electronic data?
analyse and converts/records the data as computers can’t read it
Principle of laser
Password two contains gas under pressure, fluoresces under application of a current
The light emitted is reflected along the tube
When these protons strike an atom in an excited state, they release what?
another proton of the same wavelength
When these protons strike an atom in an excited state, they release what?
another proton of the same wavelength
A small percentage of light goes through the system, where does it go from here?
through the prism and sends light back in of one photon
Properties of laser light
Coherent radiation at discreet wavelengths
Most common laser lights
Diode (635nm) and argon
What does the laser interact with?
fluorochrome, only specific wavelengths can interact
How does fluorescence occur?
occurs when a molecule is excited by light of one wavelength returns to the ground state by emitting light of a longer wavelength
Light that you get out will be a longer wavelength than that that went in
light of fluorochrome higher
What is sheath fluid?
filtered isotonic saline
The carrier fluid is?
isotonic so won’t burst the cell, the transport medium has no particles
Dynamic of sheath fluid and sample
Sheath fluid always flowing when machine is on, however sample only flowing when told to
Interrogation point
Laser
What happens when each cell passes through the laser beam?
The laser beam will scatter in multiple directions
What’s it called when light scatters in a forward manner?
Forward scatter
How is the amount of forward scatter detected?
Detected by a detector on the far side of the cell from the laser
How is the amount of forward scatter detected?
Detected by a detector on the far side of the cell from the laser
How does the detector work?
converts the scattered light into a voltage pulse which is directly proportional to the amount of forward scattered light
Forward scatter is proportional to what?
The size of the cell
What does the computer convert the data into?
Histogram plot x axis: amount of forward scattered light
y axis : number of cells
What’s it called when light scatters in a sideways manner?
Side scatter
How is side scatter detected?
by a detector located perpendicular to the path of the laser beam
Side scatter is proportional to what?
the shape and internal complexity of a cell
Analysing the forward and side scatter data together
Researchers can understand a cells size, shape and complexity
And divide The heterogeneous population of cells into individual populations with varying size, shape and complexity
Bernoulli Effect
Particles flow from a High to low pressure area
Viscous drag along walls slow the fluid down
Viscosity gradient created via centre of the fluid flowing faster than that against the walls, differential core in centre due to slowing of the fluid against the wall
Application of fluorochromes
In flow cytometry the cell will bind to a fluorescent dye
or
fluorochrome conjugated with an antibody in an amount proportional to the quantity of the binding constituent (e.g. DNA, RNA, surface antigen)
The cells emitting fluorescence intensity is proportional to what?
The fluorescing cellular constituent
Common type of Fluorochrome
FITC
Why is FITC used if item is rare?
it is brighter
What is the absorption maximum of FITC?
close to emission lines from both the argon laser and a mercury arc lamp
What is the absorption maximum of FITC?
close to emission lines from both the argon laser and a mercury arc lamp
FITC can be excited at what wavelength?
488nm, so only one laser required
Flow cell made from what?
quartz glass which are transparent to all wavelengths of light
cleanable
Flow cytometers make measurements based on what?
light as the excitation source
What does forward/low angle scatter tell us?
size of the cell
Forward Scatter Rule
when laser light hits a small cell, refract little light around it, more forward scatter for a bigger cell
Forward scatter is proportional to cell size; the bigger the cell, the more light is scattered, the higher the detected signal.
Side scatter rule
Side scatter is proportional to cell complexity; the more organelles/bits inside the cytoplasm, the more light scatter, the higher the detected signal.
Dichroic mirrors (beam splitters)
Allow light of a certain wavelength to be reflected while the remaining wavelengths can pass through
Short pass filters
light equal to or shorter than their indicated wavelength
Long pass filters
allow light equal to or longer than specified wavelength through
Band pass filters
Only allow a specified range of light wavelengths through
Photodiodes
- Newer techology
- Solid state
- Good in visible spectrum
- Requires cooling
Photo Multiplier Tubes (PMT)
- Detects light
- Amplify signal so good for the detection of weak fluorescence
- PMT tubes older and cheaper
- Can amplify the signal that goes in
- One photon of light goes in, 8x increase in light
What is a flow cytometer?
an instrument that is capable of simultaneous measurement of multiple physical characteristics of a single cell:
- size
- granularity
- fluorescence
the measurements are made on a per cell basis at rates typically in the order of 500 to 4000 cells per second in a moving fluid stream
History of flow cytometry:
what are the requirements for a flow cytometer?
Fluidics
Optics
Electronics
What do Fluidics do
this delivers the particles individually to a specific point that is intersected by a laser beam
what fluid is used in the machine?
sheath fluid - filtered isotonic saline
how is this achieved?
the sample is injected into the centre of an enclosed channel through which sheath fluid is flowing
what effects occur as a result of the fluidics?
the Bernoulli effect - increased speed of fluid, occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or decrease in the fluids potential energy
hydrodynamic focusing - laminar coaxial flow, sheet fluid is passed around the particle causing them to form into single file
what effects occur as a result of the fluidics?
the Bernoulli effect - increased speed of fluid, occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or decrease in the fluids potential energy
hydrodynamic focusing - laminar coaxial flow, sheet fluid is passed around the particle causing them to form into single file
what are the requirements of the fluidics system? why are they required?
a stream velocity of 10 m/s - for hydrodynamic focusing
- 10 micron particles will then transverse their own diameter in 1 microsecond - interrogation must be rapid as a result
- made practical with the appearance of lasers and high speed electronics
what does the typical fluidics system look like?
What is optics?
consists of an excitation source and data collection optics