Flow Cytometry Lab

The Flow Cytometry laboratory is housed in Coles Hall Room 324 of the College of Veterinary Medicine Complex. This laboratory is equipped with state of the art equipment by Becton Dickinson, a FACSCalibur and FACSVantage SE.

 

 

 

 

The FACSCalibur , is a bench top flow cytometer equipped with two lasers, an argon and Red diode laser, with emission at 488 and 630 nm.  This instrument has the capability for 4-color analysis plus forward and side scatter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FACSVantage SE (photo), is an analytical flow cytometer with sorting capabilities. This instrument has two lasers with three distinct lines of emission. The Enterprise II laser has an argon and UV line, whereas the Helium Neon laser emits at 630 nm. This instrument has 6-color capabilities and can sort 7,000 cells/second.

 

 

 

The flow cytometers are interfaced with G4 Macintosh computers and multiple printers that have publication quality color capabilities. Analysis software for routine analysis is Cell QuestTM and for DNA analysis we have ModFitTM available.

Research experiments that can be done with this equipment are limited only by your imagination. The following is a representation of the types of samples and assays that have been performed in this laboratory by various investigators (See slide show: Basic Theories and Applications for Flow Cytometry) (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

1. Characterize molecule expression on cells using fluorochrome conjugated antibodies or immunophenotyping subsets of immune cells
2. Apoptosis studies
3. Determine DNA content and viability of cells including spermatozoa
4. Determine intracellular calcium levels
5. Assess respiratory burst and phagocytic function in neutrophils
6. Label bacteria
7. Determine DNA cell cycle phases in cells (G0, G1, S, G2 + M)
8. Determine enzyme activity of cells using fluorochrome conjugated substrates
9. Sort rare cells or GFP expressing cells

Publications Generated Using the Flow Cytometry Facility at KSU