Description
Background information
T lymphocytes execute and control immunological reactions with a repertoire of cytokines, cytotoxic substances, and other mediators. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells specifically recognizing and reacting towards a defined antigen provide important information to understand their function in various immunological situations. The presence of these cells indicate an infected or convalescent donor and may also allow conclusions on disease progress, severity, and immune status, e.g. in cancer or autoimmune patients1-8. Antigen-reactive T cells can thereby be identified and characterized by analyzing their effector function, e.g., by their upregulation of activation markers and production of cytokines. The Antigen-specific T cell Analysis Kits represent a sensitive and precise multiparameter assay to efficiently asses antigen-reactivity of T cells.
Applications
- Rapid detection of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells reactive towards any antigen of interest
- Phenotypical characterization of activated T cells after stimulation with PepTivator® Peptide Pools or MACSpep Single Peptides by flow cytometry
- Immune monitoring of antigen-specific T cells
- Research and monitoring of infection- and vaccine-specific T cell responses in individuals
Overview
The Antigen-specific T Cell Analysis Kit (PBMC), anti-human, REAfinity® has been developed for fast and easy detection of antigen-reactive T cells by intra- and extracellular staining of T cell activation markers and cytokines. The Kits are available for analysis of T cell responses from PBMC or whole blood samples. Antigenic peptide pools (PepTivators®) or single epitope peptides (MACSpep Single Peptides) must be ordered separately to create an individual T cell stimulation approach. All Kits contain antibodies for the identification of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, the exclusion of monocytes and B cells, as well as the staining of activation markers and intracellular cytokines. Furthermore, a positive control (CytoStim™), a live/dead marker (Viobility™ 405/452 Fixable Dye), Brefeldin A, and the buffers for fixation and permeabilization of cells after stimulation (Inside Fix and Inside Perm) are included. The use of 96-well cell culture plates enables the analysis of multiple samples in parallel. The flow cytometry panel and the protocol have been optimized to ensure a comprehensive and efficient analysis of antigen-reactive T cells in the context of cancer, infections, autoimmunity, and more.
Please note: The Antigen-specific T Cell Analysis Kits do not contain peptide stocks in order to allow flexible combination of the Kits with any peptide of interest.