Evaluating the efficiency of isotope transmission for improved panel design and a comparison of the detection sensitivities of mass cytometer instruments

Cytometry A. 2015 Apr;87(4):357-68. doi: 10.1002/cyto.a.22648. Epub 2015 Feb 20.

Abstract

The recent introduction of mass cytometry, a technique coupling a cell introduction system generating a stream of single cells with mass spectrometry, has greatly increased the number of parameters that can be measured per single cell. As with all new technology there is a need for dissemination of standardization and quality control procedures. Here, we characterize variations in sensitivity observed across the mass range of a mass cytometer, using different lanthanide tags. We observed a five-fold difference in lanthanide detection over the mass range and demonstrated that each instrument has its own sensitivity pattern. Therefore, the selection of lanthanide combinations is a key step in the establishment of a staining panel for mass cytometry-based experiments, particularly for multicenter studies. We propose the sensitivity pattern as the basis for panel design, instrument standardization and future implementation of normalization algorithms.

Keywords: CyTOF; Key terms: mass cytometry; flow cytometry; standardization.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Animals
  • Antibodies / immunology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Flow Cytometry / instrumentation
  • Flow Cytometry / methods*
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Isotopes / metabolism
  • Lanthanoid Series Elements / metabolism*
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Staining and Labeling / methods*

Substances

  • Antibodies
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Isotopes
  • Lanthanoid Series Elements