. 2016 Jul 6;7:12150. doi: 10.1038/ncomms12150

Table 1. Minimal phenotypic characteristics necessary to identify cells as MDSC.

Mouse	Phenotype	Human (in PBMC fraction)	Phenotype
Total MDSC (not sufficient for MDSC characterization)	Gr-1⁺CD11b⁺	Total (mixed) MDSC	Not clearly determined
PMN-MDSC	CD11b⁺Ly6C^loLy6G⁺	PMN-MDSC	CD14⁻CD11b⁺CD15⁺(or CD66b⁺)
M-MDSC	CD11b⁺Ly6C^hiLy6G⁻	M-MDSC	CD11b⁺CD14⁺HLA-DR^low/− CD15⁻
eMDSC	Not clearly determined	e-MDSC	Lin⁻(CD3/14/15/19/56)/HLA-DR⁻/CD33⁺

eMDSC, early-stage MDSC; MDSC, myeloid-derived suppressor cell; M-MDSC, monocytic-MDSC; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cell; PMN-MDSC; polymorphonuclear-MDSC.

Although phenotype is the first necessary step for defining MDSC, please note that, it cannot be used as the sole parameter for distinction between PMN-MDSC and neutrophils and M-MDSC and monocytes.

It is important, wherever possible, to use cells from control mice or healthy donors as controls.