What is a gate in flow cytometry?

Posted June 22, 2020

Answer

A gate in flow cytometry is a set of value limits that can isolate a specific group of events from a large set. There are two types of gate used in data analysis, the inclusive gates and exclusive gates. Inclusive gates select data that fall within the limits, while exclusive gates select data falling outside the limits.

Additional resources

Fundamentals of Flow Cytometry

Cell Meter™ FITC-Annexin V Binding Apoptosis Assay Kit *Optimized for Flow Cytometry*

Picot, J., Guerin, C. L., Le Van Kim, C., & Boulanger, C. M. (2012). Flow cytometry: retrospective, fundamentals and recent instrumentation. Cytotechnology, 64(2), 109-130.

Nolan, J. P., & Condello, D. (2013). Spectral flow cytometry. Current protocols in cytometry, 63(1), 1-27.