title: Use of flow cytometry for characterization and fractionation of cell populations based on their expression of heparan sulfate epitopes.
abstract: The ability to characterize alterations in heparan sulfate (HS) structure during development or as a result of loss or mutation of one or more components of the HS biosynthetic pathway is essential for broad understanding of the effects these changes may have on cell/tissue function. The use of anti-HS antibodies provides an opportunity to study HS chain composition in situ, with a multitude of different antibodies having been generated that recognize subtle differences in HS patterning, with the number and positioning of sulfate groups influencing antibody binding affinity. Flow cytometry is a valuable technique to enable the rapid characterization of the changes in HS-specific antibody binding in situ, allowing multiple cell types to be directly compared. Additionally fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS) allows fractionation of cells based on their HS-epitope expression.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Matrix Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Holley
authors.forename: Raymond A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Els M A
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: van de Westerlo
authors.forename: Claire E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Pickford
authors.forename: C L R
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Merry
authors.forename: Toin H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: van Kuppevelt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D002458:Cell Fractionation / Q000379:methods*; D002469:Cell Separation; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D006497:Heparan Sulfate