CYTO 2010—Overview of the XXV ISAC Congress Proceedings Issue of Cytometry Part A

Abstract

issue of Cytometry Part A presents the second occasionon which a call has been issued to encourage authors to sub-mit their best work to the Journal for publication in a specialCongress Proceedings Issue of Cytometry. The incentive forsubmission was that accepted papers would be guaranteed anoral presentation at the XXV ISAC Congress in Seattle—CYTO 2010. The manuscripts submitted for the call werereviewed via the normal Cytometry Part A review process andthen by a second level of review by the Congress OrganizingCommittee. The outcome of this strict peer-review processwas that nine papers were accepted for the Proceedings Issueof Cytometry Part A. The research articles provide excellentexamples of some of the latest trends in the field of cytometryand we highlight them here in this editorial review. The topicsof the accepted papers range from application of 12-color flowcytometry through characterization of new probes and investi-gation of cytoskeleton elements to analysis of nuclear structurefrom histopathology images.Modern polychromatic flow cytometry can providehigher resolution approaches for the dissection and identifica-tion of cell subpopulations (1,2). In this issue, the paper byAutissier et al. (page 410) describes how 12-color flow cytome-try can be used for studying the phenotypes of lymphocyte,monocyte, and dendritic cell subsets. The authors developed asingle flow cytometry panel that allows for simultaneousdetection of the lymphocyte and monocyte cell populationsand all known DC subsets. Studying these crucial subpopula-tions of the immune system in one single panel may give abroader view of the immune response during HIV infectionand can be used for monitoring AIDS pathogenesis.Polychromatic cytometry has become increasingly impor-tant in slide-based applications with the drive to increase thenumber of measurable fluorochromes for multiparametricanalysis. New fluorochromes have been introduced where thefluorescent dyes possess different optical characteristicsincluding spectral range, lifetime signatures, and improvedphotostability (3–5). The special feature of slide-based cyto-metry is that analyzed fields can be revisited, providing a basisfor the application of sequential photobleaching of fluoro-chromes next to very photostable dyes to increase the numberof parameters captured. In this issue, Wessels et al. (page 420)analyzed the newly available NorthernLights secondary anti-bodies for use in slide-based cytometry and microscopy. Theypointed out that since the NorthernLights are bright, resistantto photobleaching, stable in alcohols and xylene, these dyesare promising candidates for use with most laser- and HBO/XBA-based fluorescence microscopy techniques. It is antici-pated that combination of NorthernLights with laser scanningcytometry could provide a better methodology for analysis oftumor dissemination to bone marrow and lymph node (6).The other group of fluorescent probes aims to stain cellorganelles with high specificity. Development of fluorescent,organelle-targeted probes has been driven by an interest in dis-covering new probes that excite and emit in the visible spec-