Flow cytometric measurement of intracellular pH

Abstract

A number of fundamentally important biological processes, such as cell signaling and the initiation of mitosis, are accompanied by a change in intracellular pH. Flow cytometric measurement of pH is a generally straightforward procedure that can be done with any instrument equipped with a 488-nm argon laser. The overall approach is similar to that for calcium: generation of a calibration curve by imparting known changes in pH and interpolation of the test sample pH. This unit presents the traditional calibration method using high-potassium buffers and the proton ionophore nigericin and a more recently developed technique, the pseudo null method, which involves resuspension of cells in defined mixtures of weak acids and weak bases.