New Flow-Validated Antibodies for Detecting Phosphorylation of Intracellular Proteins in Whole Blood

The Cell Lab Signaling Cytometry (Cell Lab SC) line of reagents from Beckman Coulter, Inc., offers a set of antibodies for the detection of the phosphorylation state of signaling proteins in cells via flow cytometry. Performing cell signaling experiments via flow enables the user to generate precise, specific and quantitative measurements of the signaling response in individual cellular subpopulations.

The reagents, which in the initial offering are conjugated to either Alexa Fluor* 488 or Alexa Fluor 647, are released in conjunction with a new method that allows analysis of samples in whole blood. Analyzing samples in whole blood minimizes artifacts and variability introduced through sample manipulation and helps preserve the native biology of the cell. The method has also shown excellent performance when used with bone marrow, cell culture, and purified cell populations.

Antibodies in the Cell Lab SC line can be used in combination with extracellular markers to study signaling patterns in specific cellular subpopulations. Products are available for the study of apoptosis, chromatin regulation, cytoskeletal signaling, DNA damage, lymphocyte signaling, MAP kinase signaling, protein folding, translation control and other phosphorylation events.

“Using flow cytometry to get quantitative, cell-type specific data enables researchers to interrogate signaling pathways in ways previously unattainable by Western blotting,” said Brad Calvin, vice president of Beckman Coulter's Flow Cytometry Business Center. “The combined whole-blood application, which incorporates robust cell preparation and high affinity antibodies, creates the potential to transform our understanding of cell signaling’s role in disease, while also providing the pharmaceutical industry with the potential for improved characterization of target compound function and effect.”