Marker Target Staining Markers / Functional Implications References
CD45 Surface Leukocytes (excludes erythrocytes and platelets)
CD3 Surface T lymphocytes
CD4/CD8 Surface Helper T cells/Cytotoxic T cells
CD45RA Surface High expression identifies naive T cells (31,64)
CD27 Surface Highly expressed in naïve T cells but lost in fully differentiated cells after persistent antigen stimulation (31)
Integrin β7 (β7) Surface Gut-homing marker. (32)
CD161 Surface Type 17 responses and cytotoxic functions. (58,65)
PSGL-1 (CLA) Surface Skin-homing marker. (66)
CXCR-5 Surface Follicular T cell marker. (67)
LAG-3 Surface Inhibitory receptor upregulated in recently activated lymphocytes. (68)
FcERI (FCER1A) Surface High affinity receptor for IgE. (69)
CD49b Surface Integrin (α2β1) that binds to collagen and modulates T cell stimulation, cytokine production and survival. (70,71)
CD137 Surface Costimulatory receptor, promoting proliferation and survival, upregulated in activated lymphocytes. (72)
CRTH2 Surface Type 2 responses. (73)
CD40L Surface Costimulatory ligand expressed on activated T cells. (74)
T-box protein 21 (T-bet)
Intracellular
Type 1 responses and effector CD8+ cells differentiation
(75)
GATA-3 Intracellular Type 2 responses and cytotoxic CD8+ function (76)
BCL-6 Intracellular Involved in follicular helper T cell differentiation. Involved in granzyme B production and memory differentiation in CD8+ T cells. (77,78)
Forkhead box protein P3 (FoxP3) Intracellular Transcription factor expressed by regulatory T cells. (79)
Nur77 Intracellular Transcription factor indicative of T cell activation. (80)