McMaster University researchers have developed an instruction manual to aid in the identification of elusive B cells. Published in Nature Protocols, the protocol was written to share the team’s knowledge on the design of antigen-specific tetramer probes and help advance B cell studies.
"One of the big problems with trying to study these B cells, the ones that make these antibodies that have all kinds of different and very important functions, is that they're really, really, rare. It's hard to find them. And so, you have to have very good tools that will help you study these things," senior author Josh Koenig explained.
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To address this challenge, the team utilized a method developed by Justin Taylor, from the University of Virginia, involving antigen tetramers to sensitively label and enrich specific B cells for detection. Tetramers, composed of four antigen molecules, are customizable, spanning allergens like peanuts to COVID-19 specific B cells.
"After using the technology for a few years in several of our studies and making multiple different allergen tetramers and antigen tetramers for other people, we decided to write up a protocol paper to help other people study these incredibly important B cells,” added first author Allyssa Phelps.