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Analysis of the Germinal Center Reaction in Tissue Sections

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Germinal Centers

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1623))

Abstract

Germinal centers are short-lived microanatomical compartments with essential roles in adaptive immunity. These lymphoid structures can be identified in secondary lymphoid organs using both flow cytometry and immunohistological analyses, but only the latter provides useful architectural and spatial information. Here we describe how to use immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry with specific antibodies to precisely highlight the cellular and architectural features of germinal centers, both in human and mouse secondary lymphoid organs, and to study their normal development and disturbance in disease.

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Acknowledgment

We wish to thank Carla Rossana Scalia, Rossella Gendusa for excellent technical assistance, Maddalena Maria Bolognesi for digital editing of multiplex images, and Franco Ferrario, Hong Yan and Qiong Shen for support and helpful insights.

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Correspondence to David Dominguez-Sola or Giorgio Cattoretti .

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Dominguez-Sola, D., Cattoretti, G. (2017). Analysis of the Germinal Center Reaction in Tissue Sections. In: Calado, D. (eds) Germinal Centers. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1623. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7095-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7095-7_1

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