B-Lineage Cell Counts in Lupus Nephritis Biopsies via 5-Plex Immunofluorescence

A 2026 methodology paper presents cell count data from a validated 5-plex immunofluorescence workflow applied to eight lupus nephritis biopsy tissue blocks and two tonsil samples. The dataset quantifies B cells, plasma cells, and plasmablasts using specific marker combinations like CD79a, CD138, CD38, and Ki-67, reporting average cell frequencies per square millimeter. It was created by Caleb Chan to support the evaluation of B-cell depletion therapies in clinical trials.

Use Cases

• Analyze the spatial distribution and average frequencies of CD79a+/CD138- B cells versus CD138+/CD38+ plasma cells in lupus nephritis tissue.
• Validate cell classification definitions (e.g., CD138+/CD38+/Ki-67+ for plasmablasts) by comparing results from permissive and stringent gating strategies.
• Correlate the presence of CD79a+ plasma cells and plasmablasts with potential disease pathogenesis mechanisms in renal tissue.
• Benchmark B-lineage cell densities (e.g., ~250 cells/mm² for B cells/PCs, ~14 cells/mm² for PBs) against other immunofluorescence studies in nephrology.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a peer-reviewed, validated 5-plex immunofluorescence workflow specifically designed for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human tissue.
• The methodology overcomes a known challenge by using specific marker combinations to distinguish cell types unambiguously, addressing variable CD138 expression in renal epithelium.
• Cell counts are provided as average frequencies per square millimeter, enabling quantitative spatial analysis across tissue samples.

Limitations

• The dataset is very small in scale (180.7 KB), derived from only eight lupus nephritis biopsies and two tonsil samples, limiting statistical power.
• As a supplementary file from a single methodological study, the data scope is narrow, focused on validating a specific laboratory technique rather than providing broad clinical or patient data.
• The underlying raw image data or detailed per-sample tabular counts are not available, only the summarized results and methodology are presented.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Caleb Chan.

Collection Method

Targeted 5-plex immunofluorescence and digital image analysis workflow applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human tonsil and lupus nephritis kidney tissue blocks.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.