Service Group Cytometry

We provide flow cytometric methods, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), histology, microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, image cytometry, image analysis and live cell imaging.

The group supports users and cooperation partners and constantly develops the methods and their application possibilities. Through our participation in the German Society for Cytometry, we are involved in national and international networks.

For the examination of living and fixed cells and tissues, we have a confocal laser scanning microscope (Zeiss) equipped with a microscope incubator for live cell imaging analyses. In addition, we have possibilities for micromanipulation and microinjection of somatic cells or oocytes and embryos.

This means that we are in a position to present and quantitatively evaluate processes of receptor translocation after ligand binding and protein translocation depending on cellular interactions or phosphorylation processes as well as intracellular calcium pulses. Among other things, these techniques were used to investigate the phosphorylation status of mTOR signaling pathways in maturing oocytes and the influence of acute heat stress on the distribution of specific proteins in maturing cumulus oocyte complexes. Analysis of 3D cell culture systems for the detection of specific differentiation processes has been started.

Furthermore, we have powerful 3-laser flow cytometers and cell sorters (Gallios and MoFlow XDP, Beckman-Coulter) at our disposal. This enables the efficient analysis and sorting of even larger numbers of somatic cells. These techniques allow the generation of immunofluorescence chemical profiles and the analysis and sorting of individual cells for transcriptome and proteome analysis.

The flow cytometric sorting of large lutein cells of cattle, also in combination with the mitochondrial activity detection of single cells, was a main focus of the investigations.