Terms | Definitions |
Cluster designation or cluster differentiation (CD) | A group of antibodies that recognize the same antigen. |
Fluorochrome (fluorophore) | Fluorescent marker that is excited by light of one wavelength (generated by the laser of the flow cytometer) and emits light of a different wavelength (fluorescent light). |
Gate | A boundary that is set up around a subset of data points to segregate those events for analysis or to exclude other events from the analysis. |
Immunofluorescence | Fluorescent expression of immune reactions between antigens and antibodies. |
Monoclonal antibody (MoAb) | An antibody produced from a single clone of cells and therefore has high purity and reproducibility. A monoclonal antibody that is used in flow cytometry is directed against a single antigen. For example, the CD2 MoAb will bind to the CD2 antigen on the cell surface of a T cell. |