Abstract
Mass cytometry, or Cytometry by Time-Of-Flight, is a powerful new platform for high-dimensional single-cell analysis of the immune system. It enables the simultaneous measurement of over 40 markers on individual cells through the use of monoclonal antibodies conjugated to rare-earth heavy-metal isotopes. In contrast to the fluorochromes used in conventional flow cytometry, metal isotopes display minimal signal overlap when resolved by single-cell mass spectrometry. This review focuses on the potential of mass cytometry as a novel technology for studying immune reconstitution in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Reconstitution of a healthy donor-derived immune system after HSCT involves the coordinated regeneration of innate and adaptive immune cell subsets in the recipient. Mass cytometry presents an opportunity to investigate immune reconstitution post-HSCT from a systems-level perspective, by allowing the phenotypic and functional features of multiple cell populations to be assessed simultaneously. This review explores the current knowledge of immune reconstitution in HSCT recipients and highlights recent mass cytometry studies contributing to the field.
Highlights
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a key therapeutic strategy for a number of hematological malignancies and non-malignant disorders of the hematopoietic system [1]
The development of mass cytometry promises to expand our ability to interrogate the diverse changes in immune cell subset frequencies, phenotypes and functions that occur across the hematopoietic system as it reconstitutes after HSCT
From comprehensive immunophenotypic profiling of specific immune cell populations to broader investigations of the global pattern of cellular immune reconstitution, the increased breadth of markers that can be assessed simultaneously by single-cell mass cytometry opens new possibilities for the discovery of informative immune signatures connected with post-transplant outcomes such as infection, relapse, graft-versushost disease (GvHD) and overall survival
Summary
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a key therapeutic strategy for a number of hematological malignancies and non-malignant disorders of the hematopoietic system [1]. Our current understanding of immune reconstitution post-HSCT has largely been informed by research focused on characterizing the reconstitution pattern of individual immune cell subsets, with a bias toward major peripheral blood lymphocyte populations (T, B, or NK cells) that can be characterized with the limited number of parameters achievable through conventional flow cytometry [19, 102]. With the ability to simultaneously profile the expression of over 40 cellular markers, including surface proteins, intracellular signaling targets, transcription factors, and cytokines, mass cytometry provides an unprecedented opportunity for multiparametric analysis of immune reconstitution post-HSCT. Simultaneous analysis of the reconstitution of 89 immune cell populations in healthy HSCT patients and those with major post-transplant complications revealed that perturbations in frequency and phenotype across multiple cell subsets correlated with complications such as HCMV reactivation and acute GvHD. Stikvoort et al [132] recently used mass cytometry to investigate the cellular immune profiles associated with cGvHD in HSCT patients, detecting clusters of T, B, and NK cell subsets that were present at lower abundance in patients with mild cGvHD, compared to those
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
