L5: Immunological Methods Flashcards
How do you deduce the absolute count of a particular cell type from a CBC?
Using the percentage of cells from the differential count, back-calculate the absolute value from the total number of cells
How does flow cytometry work?
Measures characteristics of cells as they flow in a single file past a laser beam → the amount of light emitted from fluorescently labeled cells is measured and quantitated by photomultiplier tubes → information on the size and complexity (granularity) of a cell is also obtained by the way the light is scattered
In flow cytometry, what does light scatter gating tell you?
Forwards scatter tells you cell size: the larger the cell, the further up on the scale
Side scatter tells you on complexity or granularity
There are characteristics patterns on side scatter vs. forward scatter graph for the different cell types
How can flow cytometry be used to determine the types of markers and receptors are on the surface of cell?
A fluorescent dye is attached to antibodies or receptor ligands → these cells can then be subjected to flow cytometry → the amount of receptor on their surface is detected by the level of fluorescence
These experiments can be designed to incorporate more than one fluorescent marker at a time, giving the ability to detect multiple cell-surface markers simultaneously, e.g. CD4 and CD8
HIstogram (flow cytometry)
If a single fluorescent marker is used, the readout is a histogram
Display 1 fluorescence at a time
Cells also have auto-fluorescence, so it will still have a signal
Fluorescence intensity vs. Number of cells
Scattergram (flow cytometry)
When 2 or more fluorescent markers are used
What are some applications of flow cytometry?
Quantitative analysis of lymphocytes subsets, using surface markers CD antigens
Immunophenotyping of leukemias and lymphomas
Define early stages in the development and lineage of T and B lymphocytes
DNA analysis (ploidy): useful for diagnosis of malignancy since malignant cells acquire lots and lots of DNA
Intracellular flow for cytokines and receptors
Monitoring of HIV infected and immunocompromised pts: virus will initially cause a lot of CD4+ T cell death
Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for isolating different cell population
What is produced when antigens combine w/ antibodies?
Precipitate
Agglutination
Smaller antigens are adsorbed on to particles (RBCs, latex beads, charcoal) to visualize the reaction)
What do primary interactions b/w antigen and antibody depend on?
Dependent on pH, temperature, and the relative concentrations of antigen and antibody
What are applications of antigen-antibody reactions?
Blood typing
Coombs
Direct antiglobulin test (for fetal Rh reactions)
Measurement of rheumatoid factor
Measurement of C reactive protein
Measurement of antibodies to Treponema pallidum (reagin)
When does Rh type mother-fetus incompatibility occur?
When an Rh+ man (DD or Dd) fathers a child with an Rh-mother (dd)
Only the Rh+ children (Dd) are likely to have medical complications
When both the mother and her fetus are Rh- (dd) the birth will be normal
What type of antibody is anti-Rh antibody?
IgG
Describe the direct Coombs test for anti-Rh antibody in a Rh- mother pregnant w/ Rh+ child
Take blood directly from the fetus → if mother has Rh antibodies, the RBCs of the fetus will already be coated with maternal antibodies → add a secondary reagent (rabbit anti-human antibody) →if the antibodies are present, there will be agglutination
Describe the indirect Coombs test for anti-Rh antibody in a Rh- mother pregnant w/ Rh+ child
Take a sample from maternal serum → mix these antibodies w/ another source of RBCs that are known to be Rh+ → if mother has antibodies, they will form a complex w/ the RBCs → add secondary reagent (rabbit anti-human antibody → agglutination
How are antibodies measured in a lab?
Immunoassays, such as ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay)
Describe process of ELISA
Bind antigen to wells → take pt’s serum and through serial dilutions add it to the wells → if pt has antibodies for this antigen, they will bind → do several washes to remove any non-specific bindings → add secondary antibody that comes covalently linked w/ an enzyme (this enzyme catalyzes a reaction that produces a color change) → add substrate → look for color change
Why are serial dilutions of pt’s serum done in ELISA?
So you get a range of responses if pt has the the antibody specific for that particular antigen