Leukocytes' immune response relies on a complex interplay of anabolic and catabolic metabolism, and their metabolic reprogramming in response to environmental changes is crucial for effector function. Current methods lack single-cell-level metabolic pathway interrogation within heterogeneous populations. This paper introduces Met-Flow, a flow cytometry-based method that captures the metabolic state of immune cells by targeting key proteins and rate-limiting enzymes across multiple pathways. Met-Flow simultaneously measures divergent metabolic profiles and dynamic remodeling in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The study discovered that glucose restriction and metabolic remodeling drive the expansion of an inflammatory central memory T cell subset. Met-Flow captures the complex metabolic state of cells, improving understanding of metabolic heterogeneity in immune responses.

Patricia J. Ahl, Richard A. Hopkins, Wen Wei Xiang, Bijin Au, Nivashini Kaliaperumal, Anna-Marie Fairhurst, John E. Connolly