In the laboratory, some lymphocyte cultures contain droplets whose nature and origin have yet to be identified. These droplets have no impact on cell vability or proliferation.
Have other teams already observed these droplets in cultures?
Thanks
Hello Béatrice Clemenceau
To know the exact nature of the droplets, you need to carry out further analysis such as 1) microscopy (light or fluorescence) with specific staining to determine their nature whether they are cells, cell debris, or something else, or 2) flow cytometry to identify the cell types present and their activation state based on cell surface markers.
There are some possibilities which you could investigate.
1. When T cells are activated by any stimuli, they can undergo changes including an increase in cell size and volume.
2. Dead and dying cells, or cellular debris, can appear as larger droplets in culture. This is especially true if the cells are undergoing apoptosis or necrosis.
3. These could be apoptotic bodies that bud off from cells undergoing programmed cell death. They contain cellular debris.
4. These could be membrane-bound vesicles (exosomes) released by T lymphocytes.
5. The activated T cells in culture may also release larger vesicles that are not strictly exosomes but are still involved in intercellular communication and immune signaling.
6. Some T cells can accumulate lipid droplets as part of their normal metabolic processes or under certain stress conditions.
Further investigation needs to be done.
Best,
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