What Are T Cell Subsets in Flow Cytometry?
Flow cytometry allows a beam of light, usually a laser, to separate and identify the various subsets of T cells. T cell molecules in lymphocytes in the blood contain enzymes that have special properties and serve different purposes in the body---some trigger autoimmunity responses and others promote disease.
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What Are T Cells?
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T cells are a group of white blood cells known as lymphocytes that help promote immunity, control production of antibodies and reject foreign tissue.
What Are T Cell Subsets?
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Triggering certain responses in the body is the job of T cells in the bloodstream. Different types, or subsets, of T cells have different functions and can be helpful or harmful.
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Flow Cytometry
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Separating and suspending cells in a fluid allows them to be identified; cytometry is a technique for identifying and counting T cells by segregating them into a narrow stream of light.
Components of Flow Cytometry
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Flow cytometry has five components: a flow containment that aligns and identifies cells; an optical system, which is usually a laser light; a detector, which turns the light into electrical signals; an amplifier; and a computer to analyze the signals.
Lymphocytes and Disease
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HIV is a blood disease that affects many people throughout the world. Counting lymphocytes is an integral part of a complete blood cell count. An increase in lymphocytes is usually a sign of a viral infection or leukemia. Low lymphocyte levels occur in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that infects and destroys T cells.
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Everett
