Re: High FITC staining induced FL3 downward shift.

From: mdominguez@beckman.com
Date: Fri Aug 23 2002 - 14:38:05 EST


One of the reasons I wanted a Coulter  XL when I went to a 4 colour Flow
Cytometer- Full 4x4 Compensation.

Martin J Dominguez
Cytomics
Beckman Coulter




"Mario Roederer" <roederer@drmr.com> on 22/08/2002 23:28:47
From:

To: cyto-inbox
cc:

Subject:  Re: High FITC staining induced FL3 downward shift.



Because the "correct" compensation settings on a machine do not correctly
compensate the FITC into the FL3 channel.  In your case, you have
over-compensated this pair...  Not your fault, it's the manufacturers who
have only provided 2 pairwise compensation settings (FL1 <-> FL2 and FL2
<-> FL3); this does not allow for complete compensation.  Depending on your
settings, you may have under-compensated fluorescein in the FL3 channel.
(For a discussion of this, see my web pages on compensation, particularly,
<http://www.drmr.com/compensation/3color.html>).

If you are unwilling to use software to completely and properly compensate
your 3 color data, you do still have an option that is time consuming and
impractical.  Set up your machine as you have described below.  If you see
that the compensation between FL1 and FL3 is off, then lower (or raise) the
FL3 voltage until the compensation is off in the other direction about the
same amount (i.e., go from too low to too high or vice versa).  Then you
must go back and re-adjust your compensations for the new voltage settings
(the FL2 <-> FL3 comp settings only).  Now again check the FL1 vs. FL3
display--you may have to iterate this process a few times.

Or, you can just undercompensate all four combinations and use a software
package to do it right.  (Note that software will not be able to save you
in the case you have described below:  if any parameter is overcompensated,
then you will can't recover the data--once it's on the axis, it's too
late.)

Good luck

mr

At 4:07 AM -0700 8/22/02, Dr. Ashraf Abdelhafez wrote:
Hi all:
O.K. So my samples are ready and I sit at the FACS machine. I setup the
FL1,2 and 3 channel voltages so that the none stained cell population is in
the lower left hand corner. The control stained cells are nice with only a
very small shift if any in the major population in some of the channels and
sporadic events with moderate staining. I setup compensation properly for
the three channels with cells stained with only single color; the FL3
channel displays a negative population at the left hand corner and a
positive population down the axis. I put on my first sample that is highly
staining with FITC the cells being dendritic cells and the staining being
for MHCII and the staining in the FL3 channel spreads out and the negative
population goes below the origin of the axis.
To reiterate, why is it that high FITC staining induces a downward shift in
the FL3 channel although the voltage for FL3 is maintained at a value set
using a non-stained population so that cells are just above the origin of
the axis? How can this be solved?
Thanks,
Ashraf Abdelhafez, M.B.B.S.


Dr. Ashraf Abdelhafez
Universit"tshautklinik W¸rzburg, AG K"mpgen
Josef-Schneider-Str. 2
97080 W¸rzburg, Germany
Tel. W: +49-931-201-26031
       H: +49-931-2038-8318
       Handy (Cellular): +49-931-8090554


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