title: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) tetramer technology: an evaluation.
abstract: Single-cell assays are currently favored to quantitate T-cell responses. Staining antigen-specific T-cells with fluorescently labeled tetrameric major histocompatibility complex (MHC)/peptide complexes has greatly enhanced the ability to assess the cellular dynamics of an immune response at the single-cell level. This article reviews MHC tetramer technology, defining it, discussing how MHC tetramers are made, outlining the benefits of this technology, comparing and contrasting it to other methods for evaluating immune responses, and describing current applications.
authors.affiliation: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322-4207, USA. cconsta@learnlink.emory.edu
authors.forename: Carolyn M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Constantin
authors.forename: Elizabeth E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Bonney
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.forename: Ora L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Strickland
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical