A comparison of TRECs and flow cytometry for naive T cell quantification

Abstract

Assessment of thymic output by measurement of naïve T cells is routinely carried out in clinical diagnostic laboratories, predominantly using flow cytometry with a suitable panel of antibodies. Naïve T cell measurements can also be made using molecular analyses to quantify TRECs (T cell receptor excision circle) levels in sorted cells from the peripheral blood. In this study we have retrospectively compared TRECs levels with CD45RA+CD27+ T cells and also with CD45RA+CD31+ T cells in 134 patient samples at diagnosis or during follow up. Both panels provide naïve T cell measurements that have a strongly positive correlation with TRECs numbers and are suitable for use with enumerating naïve T cell levels in a clinical laboratory.