Virus-specific T cells | stimulation, enrichment, analysis

Antigen-specific T cells play a pivotal role in fighting viral infections. Assessment of specificity, phenotype, and functional cytokine secretion of virus-activated T cells provides essential information on infection progression and the reactivity of the immune system.

However, assessment of ag-specific T cells is challenging as they constitute an extremely rare subset. Thus, a precise and sensitive analytic means is indispensable.

Miltenyi Biotec offers several innovative products, protocols, and webinars to support you at every step of your workflow and accelerate your research

In vitro stimulation of T cells with peptide pools

PepTivator Peptide Pools enable the efficient virus-specific stimulation of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells of interest. Our newly developed SARS-CoV-2 PepTivator Peptide Pools are now available.

Enrichment of antigen-specific T cells

The CD137 MicroBead Kit, human and CD154 MicroBead Kit, human allow the pre-enrichment of rare virus-reactive T cells based on activation marker expression. Check out our Rapid ARTE protocol and see how staining on-column increases assay sensitivity.

Flow analysis of antigen-specific T cells

Rapid Cytokine Inspector Kits are unique tools that combine surface marker and intracellular cytokine staining in an easy and fast way, while allowing precise analyses.
MACSplex Assays can be used if you are interested in analysis of multiple soluble cytokines in one sample.
MACS® Cytokine Secretion Assays are kits that enable you to detect and enrich viable cytokine-screening T cells at the level of one in a million, which is especially useful when viable antigen-specific T cells are needed for further down-stream applications.
The 8-Color Immunophenotyping Kit, human is a pre-titrated antibody cocktail which offers the most reliable immunophenotyping in a variety of samples. This enables you to identify human immune cell subsets such as monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, T cells, B cells, and NK cells in one sample – quickly, easily, and reproducibly.

REAfinity antibodies for flow analysis of T cells

By performing multicolor flow analysis COVID-19 Zheng et al. recently reported that elevated exhaustion levels and reduced functional diversity of T cells in peripheral blood of COVID-19 patients may predict severe progression (PMID: 32203186).

Benefit for our REAfinity antibodies listed below to improve and simplify your flow cytometric analysis of ag-specific T cells.

Application	Antibody
T cell subsets	CD45
	CD3
	CD4
	CD8
	CD159a (NKG2A)
Activation proliferation exhaustion	CD154
	CD137
	CD25
	CD69
	CD223 (LAG-3)
	CD279 (PD1)
	CD366 (TIM-3)
Adhesion	CD11a (LFA-1)
	CD58 (LFA-3)
	CD99 (MIC-2)
Migration	CD194 (CCR4)
	CD195 (CCR5)
	CD196 (CCR6)
	CD183 (CXCR3)
	CD184 (CXCR4)
	CD62L
Cytolytic molecules	Granzyme A
	Granzyme B
	Perforin
	CD107a (LAMP-1)

Play video

Webinar

MACS Academy: COVID-19 – Enrichment and analysis of rare antigen- and virus-specific T cells

See how to beat the challenges that working with antigen- and virus-specific T cells in immunological research pose, specifically in SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 research.

Download interactive PDF of the presentation

Related PDFs:

Rapid ARTE Workflow protocol (application note)
Expansion, restimulation, and analysis of multivirus-specific T cells (application note)
Blood donor eligibility test for IFN-γ–secreting cell enrichment (application note)
Antigen-specific restimulation of CD8+ T cells by cross-presenting dendritic cells (application note)

For research requiring isolation of Pan T cells and T cell subsets

Untouched isolation of T cells and T cell subsets

Direct isolation of T cells from blood and blood products

StraightFrom MicroBeads allow direct isolation of T cells from whole blood and blood products (Buffy Coat, LeukoPak® and LRSC) for e.g. antigen-specific presentation in a Mixed Lymphocyte Reaction (MLR).

Related PDFs:

MACS® Technology facilitates mixed lymphocyte reaction (Application note)
Antigen-specific restimulation of CD8⁺ T cells by cross-presenting dendritic cells (Application note)

Related products:

Ficoll free solution to isolate PBMCs from whole blood

MACSPrep PBMC Isolation Kit, human

Check out more supporting materials on antigen-specific T cells

Protocol

Rapid antigen-reactive T cell enrichment (Rapid ARTE)

Application

Antigen-specific T cells

Application note

Isolation of CD8+ antigen-specific T cells using the MACSQuant® Tyto® Cell Sorter

T cell research - The complete product portfolio

Solutions for stimulation, enrichment, and analysis of rare virus-specific T cells