CD8 Cy5-PE

CD8-PECy5 is a monoclonal antibody (MAb) labelled with the R-phycoerythrin-cyanine 5 tandem (PECy5) designed for use as a direct immunofluorescence reagent in the identification and enumeration of cells which express the CD8 antigen by flow cytometry.Flow Cytometry is a powerful tool for the analytical and quantitative characterization of cells which provides rapid, quantitative and multiparametric analysis of heterogeneous cell populations on a cell-by-cell basis. Flow cytometry is performed on cells in liquid suspension that have been incubated with fluorescently-labeled antibodies directed against specific cellular proteins. The relative fluorescence intensity of the positive cells indicates the amount of antibody bound to specific binding sites on the cells, and therefore provides a relative measure of antigen expression.Human lymphocytes may be classified in three main populations according to their biological function and their cell surface antigen expression: T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and natural killer cells (NK). T lymphocytes (CD3+), the precursors of which originate in the bone marrow and then migrate and mature in the thymus, can be subdivided as well in functionally different populations. The most clearly defined of these are helper/inducer T cells (CD3+CD4+) and suppressor/cytotoxic T cells (CD3+CD8+). T cells produce no antibodies and are the mediators of cell immunity.The CYT-8C2 MAb recognizes the CD8 antigen present in suppressor/cytotoxic T cells (CD3+CD8+), and can therefore be used in the characterization studies for immunophenotyping of lymphocytes. These studies are widely applied for monitoring of the immunologic status of post-transplant patients and in the characterization and follow-up of immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases, leukemia etc (1,2).