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Phenotypic characterization of blood monocytes from HIV-infected individuals.

Ellery PJ, Crowe SM

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  • Journal Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)

  • Published 20 Sep 2005

  • Volume 304

  • Pagination 343-53

  • DOI 10.1385/1-59259-907-9:343

Abstract

Monocytes play an important, yet only partly understood, role in HIV-1 pathogenesis. Two main subsets of peripheral blood monocytes have been described; the major subset of monocytes are phenotypically characterized as being CD14hi/CD16-, and a minor subset (5-15% of total monocytes in healthy individuals), which are CD14lo/CD16hi, have been reported to be expanded in HIV-infected individuals. These CD14lo/CD16hi monocytes differ from the majority of monocytes in a number of ways, including the molecules expressed on their surface and how they function. Here we describe a flow-cytometric assay to identify and compare the expression of a representative surface molecule (CCR5) on CD14hi/CD16- and CD14lo/CD16hi monocytes in small volumes of whole blood, and methods to isolate monocyte subsets by both fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and magnetic bead sorting.