Flow cytometric immunophenotyping of lymphocyte subsets in samples that contain a high proportion of non-lymphoid cells.

Flow cytometric (FCM) immunophenotyping of peripheral blood from thalassemia patients presents technical difficulties because of the high proportion of immature red cells. The combination of forward scatter (FSC) and side scatter (SSC) with fluorescence associated with human leukocyte antigen/monocyte antigen (CD45/CD14) was unable to identify the lymphocyte population in thalassemia patients; therefore, it was necessary to exclude immature red cells to analyze lymphocyte subsets in these patients. A simultaneous three-color FCM method was developed, with the basis that transferrin receptor (CD71) or glycophorin A (glyco A) is present on all immature red cells, but is not expressed on CD45 positive leukocytes. In this study, the lymphocyte population was identified by gating out unwanted cell populations using the FSC/CD71-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), FSC/glyco A-FITC, or FSC/CD45-peridinin chlorophyll protein (PerCP) profiles. The CD71-FITC negative cells, glyco A-FITC negative cells, or CD45-PerCP positive cells were identified, then analyzed on the basis of FSC/SSC to allow any remaining non-lymphocyte cells in FSC/SSC gate to be excluded. The cells in FSC/SSC gate were then analyzed using other irrelevant two-color antibodies. Of the three gating strategies, CD45-PerCP and glyco A-FITC methods are better than the CD71-FITC gating method. Both methods markedly increase the purity of lymphocytes in the analysis gate. Either method is easy, straightforward, requires a six-tube set of reagent tubes, and provides a reliable method for immunophenotyping lymphocyte subsets in preparations containing a large percentage of non-lymphoid cells.