Phosphoprotein Detection by High-Throughput Flow Cytometry.

Phospho flow cytometry is a powerful technique for the detection of protein phosphorylation events that, like Western blotting, relies on phospho-epitope-specific antibodies. In contrast to the latter, however, multidimensional and directly quantifiable data is obtained at the single-cell level allowing separate analysis of small cell populations in complex cellular mixtures. Furthermore, up to 30 phospho-specific antibodies or antibodies identifying other posttranslational modifications in combination with cell surface markers can be analyzed in a single experiment. Utilizing a technique called fluorescent cell barcoding that enables combination of up to 64 samples into one tube for multiplex analysis and later data deconvolution, phospho flow cytometry is turned into a medium- to high-throughput technology.