Cell Interaction Analysis by Imaging Flow Cytometry

Abstract

Many processes such as cell adhesion, tissue development, cellular communication, inflammation, tumor metastasis, and microbial infection require direct interactions between cells. Some cell-cell interactions are transient, as is the case of the contacts between cells ofthe immune system, the interactions of white blood cells to malignant cells or to sites oftissue inflammation. These events often entail structural alterations in the point of contact ofthe cells involved, and may involve the fusion, transfer or exchange of material between thecells; which occur in a scale that is suited for optical microscopy analysis. However, due toits low throughput nature, microscopy often suffers from acquisition bias and limitedstatistical power. Moreover, because the data is typically analyzed in a qualitative manner, itis difficult to obtain standardized results. Strong scientific conclusions demand objectivecollection of large amounts of relevant information that can be analyzed in a quantitative,standardized, and statistically robust manner. Flow cytometry overcomes these problemsbut reduces the rich information available via optical microscopy to a set of intensitymeasurements. By combining high speed automated image acquisition with quantitativeimage analysis, Multispectral Imaging Flow Cytometry (MIFC) provides all the elementsrequired for discriminating cells based on intensity and appearance in a standardized andstatistical manner. In recent years, the application of this technology for the analysis of cell-cell interaction has multiplied, in particular in the field of immunology, allowing theobservation and quantification of events in a way that could not be achieved before.