A novel EGFP-CEM-NKr flow cytometric method for measuring antibody dependent cell mediated-cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity in HIV-1 infected individuals

J Immunol Methods. 2006 Aug 31;315(1-2):1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2006.06.005. Epub 2006 Jul 17.

Abstract

Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was stably expressed in CEM-NKr cell, a natural killer (NK) resistant human T-lymphoblastoid cell line, as EGFP-CEM-NKr cells. The cells pulsed with HIV-1 gp120 were then used as target cells for the measurement of antibody dependent cell mediated-cytotoxicity (ADCC) by flow cytometry. Compromised EGFP-CEM-NKr target cells stained with propidium iodide (PI) showed dual (green-red) fluorescent. Kinetic studies demonstrated that the sum of ADCC activity measured at 1-h and again at 2-h incubations by this flow cytometric method was comparable to the activity at 6 h by the standard chromium (51Cr) release assay (CRA). ADCC activity of HIV-1 seropositive sera measured by this new technique correlated strongly with that of CRA (Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.832; p-value < 0.001 and intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.903; p-value < 0.001). The EGFP-CEM-NKr stable cell line provides a novel method to measure ADCC activity to HIV-1 gp120 by flow cytometry without pre-staining or pre-labeling target cells.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibody Affinity
  • Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity*
  • Cell Line
  • Chromium / chemistry
  • Flow Cytometry / methods*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • HIV Antibodies / analysis*
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / analysis
  • HIV Infections / immunology*
  • HIV-1 / immunology*
  • Humans
  • K562 Cells
  • Killer Cells, Natural / immunology*
  • Kinetics
  • Time Factors
  • Transfection

Substances

  • HIV Antibodies
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120
  • enhanced green fluorescent protein
  • Chromium
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins