Since the initial description of CFSE it has been used in thousands of immunological studies, an example of an early proliferation study in animals being described by Kurts et al. However, perhaps the most important CFSE investigations have been those demonstrating that many of the effector functions of lymphocytes, such as cytokine production by T lymphocytes, and antibody class switching by B cells, are division dependent.
CFSE's widespread application in immunological studies since its initial description is evident, as illustrated by Kurts et al.'s early animal proliferation study. Notably, CFSE research has highlighted the significance of cell division in the functioning of lymphocytes, including T cells and B cells, in producing cytokines and switching antibody classes.