Page 5 - ABSTRACTS ISNI

1 7t h ISNI Annual Conf erence 1053 Oral High-dimensional Mass Cytometry Characterization of the Brain’s Immune Compartment 1,2 1,2 1,2 1,2 1 Ben Korin , Tamar Ben-Shaanan , Maya Schiller , Tania Dubovik , Hilla Azulay-Debby , 1,2 1,2 1,2 Nadia Bushnak , Tamar Koren , Asya Rolls 1 Immunology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel 2 Neuroscience, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel The brain together with its borders, create a highly dynamic microenvironment, populated with immune cells. Yet, characterization of immune cells within the normal brain compartment is still limited. In this study, we used mass cytometry (CyTOF) to characterize the immune populations of the naïve brain using 43 cell surface markers. In addition to confirming previously suggested resident and infiltrating immune populations, we were able to identify novel sub-populations in the naïve + + brain compartment (e.g., CD27 /IL-2R NK cells). Using flow cytometry, we further show the distribution of immune populations between the meninges, choroid plexus and parenchyma. We demonstrate the phenotypic range of resident myeloid cells, and identify CD44 as a marker for infiltrating immune populations. Taken together, this study provides a new approach for a system- wide view of immune populations in the brain, and is expected to serve as a valuable resource for understanding brain immunity. 5