Human and Mouse Immune Cell Markers Guide for Flow Cytometry | abinScience

Release date: 2025-06-23 View count: 79

Immune cells are critical for research in inflammation, cancer, infection, and autoimmune diseases using human and mouse models. While highly similar, certain cell surface markers exhibit species-specific differences, requiring careful distinction during flow cytometry sorting and phenotyping.

This guide systematically summarizes human and mouse immune cell markers (lymphoid & myeloid) based on peer-reviewed literature, offering a quick reference for researchers. Explore abinScience’s high-quality antibodies for precise immunological studies.

Diagram of human and mouse immune system cells for flow cytometry research

Figure 1. Overview of lymphoid and myeloid immune cells in human and mouse models（doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.643544）

I. B Cells

B cells are critical lymphocytes responsible for antibody production and humoral immunity, playing key roles in infection defense and autoimmune diseases. Their diverse subtypes, identified by markers like CD20 and CD27, are essential for phenotyping in human and mouse research models.

Subtype	Human Markers	Mouse Markers
Naïve B	IgD⁺CD27⁻	IgD⁺CD27⁻
Memory B	IgD⁻CD27⁺ / IgD⁺CD27⁺	IgD⁺/⁻CD27⁺
Germinal Center B	Bcl-6⁺GL7⁺	Bcl-6⁺GL7⁺
Marginal Zone B	CD21⁺CD23⁻	CD21⁺CD23⁻
Follicular B	CD21⁺CD23⁺	CD23⁺IgD^high
B1 Cells	CD20⁺CD43⁺CD5⁺	CD11b⁺B220⁺CD5⁺IgM⁺
Breg	CD24^hiCD38^hiCD1d⁺	CD1d⁺CD5⁺CD21⁺CD24⁺
Plasma Cell	CD38^highCD138⁺CD19^low	CD138⁺CD19^low/neg

Flow cytometry dot plot of human and mouse B cell markers

Figure 2. B cell subtype identification using flow cytometry markers(10.3389/fimmu.2021.676686)

II. T Cells

T cells, including CD4⁺ helper and CD8⁺ cytotoxic subsets, orchestrate adaptive immunity by coordinating immune responses and eliminating infected or cancerous cells. Phenotyping with markers like Foxp3 and PD-1 is vital for studying their roles in inflammation, cancer, and autoimmunity.

1. CD4⁺ T Helper Cells

Subtype	Human Markers	Mouse Markers
Th1	T-bet⁺IFN-γ⁺	T-bet⁺IFN-γ⁺
Th2	GATA-3⁺IL-4⁺	GATA-3⁺IL-4⁺
Th17	RORγt⁺IL-17A⁺	RORγt⁺IL-17⁺
Tfh	CXCR5⁺PD-1⁺Bcl-6⁺	CXCR5⁺PD-1⁺CD185⁺
Treg	CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺	CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺
Th9 / Th22	IL-9⁺ / IL-22⁺	IL-9⁺ / IL-22⁺
Activated State	CD69⁺CD25⁺	CD69⁺CD25⁺
Memory Phenotype	CD45RA⁺CCR7⁺ / CD45RA⁻CCR7⁻	CD44⁻CD62L⁺ / CD44⁺CD62L⁻

2. CD8⁺ Cytotoxic T Cells

State	Human Markers	Mouse Markers
Activated/Effector	CD69⁺Granzyme B⁺Perforin⁺	CD69⁺Granzyme⁺IFN-γ⁺
Memory	CD45RA⁺CD62L⁺/⁻	CD44⁺CD62L⁺/⁻
Exhausted	PD-1⁺TIGIT⁺TOX⁺	PD-1^hiTIM-3^hiTCF1⁺

Fluorescence microscopy of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell markers in immunology research

Figure 3. Visualization of T cell subsets using CD4 and CD8 markers(10.1016/j.immuni.2024.08.019)

III. ILCs & NK Cells

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and natural killer (NK) cells provide rapid innate immune responses, with ILCs regulating tissue homeostasis and NK cells targeting virally infected or tumor cells. Markers like CD56 and NKp46 enable precise identification in immunological studies.

Type	Human Markers	Mouse Markers
ILC1	CD127⁺T-bet⁺IFN-γ⁺	Lin⁻NKp46⁺T-bet⁺
ILC2	CRTH2⁺ST2⁺IL-5⁺IL-13⁺	Lin⁻GATA-3⁺ST2⁺IL-13⁺
ILC3 / LTi	RORγt⁺IL-22⁺IL-17⁺	RORγt⁺NKp46⁺/⁻CD127⁺
NK Cells	CD56⁺CD3⁻	NK1.1⁺CD49b⁺NKp46⁺CD3⁻

Diagram of human and mouse ILC and NK cell markers for phenotyping

Figure 4. ILC and NK cell marker expression in human and mouse models(10.1093/intimm/dxv051）

IV. Myeloid Cells

Myeloid cells, encompassing monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, and neutrophils, are pivotal in innate immunity, phagocytosis, and antigen presentation. Their diverse functions, studied via markers like CD14 and Ly6G, are crucial for research in infection, cancer, and inflammation.

Type	Human Markers	Mouse Markers
Classical Monocytes	CD14⁺CD16⁻	Ly6C^hiCD115⁺
Non-Classical Monocytes	CD14^dimCD16⁺	Ly6C^loCD43⁺CD11c⁺
Macrophages M1/M2	CD80⁺CD86⁺ / CD206⁺CD163⁺	CD80⁺iNOS⁺ / CD206⁺Arg1⁺
cDC1	CLEC9A⁺XCR1⁺	CD8α⁺CD103⁺
cDC2	CD11b⁺SIRPα⁺	CD11b⁺
pDC	CD123⁺BDCA2⁺	Siglec-H⁺CD317⁺B220⁺
MDSC - Monocytic	CD11b⁺CD14⁺HLA-DR^low	CD11b⁺Ly6C⁺Ly6G⁻
MDSC - PMN	CD11b⁺CD15⁺	CD11b⁺Ly6G⁺Ly6C^low
Neutrophils	CD66b⁺CD16⁺	Ly6G⁺Gr-1⁺
Eosinophils	CCR3⁺Siglec-8⁺	CD193⁺Siglec-F⁺
Basophils / Mast Cells	CD123⁺FcεR1⁺	FcεR1⁺CD117⁺

Flow cytometry histogram of human and mouse myeloid cell markers

Figure 5. Myeloid cell phenotyping using flow cytometry markers（10.3389/fimmu.2016.00560）

Note: While marker expression is highly conserved across species, antibody compatibility must be validated with experimental data and literature references. Contact abinScience at info@abinscience.com for expert guidance on selecting validated antibodies.

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Human and Mouse Immune Cell Markers Guide for Flow Cytometry | abinScience

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