Identifying Follicular Regulatory T Cells by Confocal Microscopy

Methods Mol Biol. 2017:1623:87-93. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7095-7_7.

Abstract

Follicular regulatory T cells are a subset of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells that migrate into the B cell follicle after infection or immunization and modulate the germinal center response. The anatomical positioning of follicular regulatory T cells within the germinal center is a defining characteristic of this subset of regulatory T cells; because of this, it is critical that studies of follicular regulatory T cells are able to identify them in situ. In this chapter we describe an immunofluorescence staining method to visualize follicular regulatory T cells in frozen secondary lymphoid tissue sections by confocal imaging.

Keywords: Confocal microscopy; Follicular regulatory T cells; Foxp3; Germinal center; Immunofluorescence; Regulatory T cells.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomarkers
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Germinal Center / cytology*
  • Germinal Center / immunology
  • Germinal Center / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Confocal* / methods
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Spleen / immunology
  • Spleen / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / metabolism*

Substances

  • Biomarkers