1
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Shin SW, Mudvari P, Thaploo S, Wheeler MA, Douek DC, Quintana FJ, Boritz EA, Abate AR, Clark IC. FIND-seq: high-throughput nucleic acid cytometry for rare single-cell transcriptomics. Nat Protoc 2024:10.1038/s41596-024-01021-y. [PMID: 39039320 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-024-01021-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Rare cells have an important role in development and disease, and methods for isolating and studying cell subsets are therefore an essential part of biology research. Such methods traditionally rely on labeled antibodies targeted to cell surface proteins, but large public databases and sophisticated computational approaches increasingly define cell subsets on the basis of genomic, epigenomic and transcriptomic sequencing data. Methods for isolating cells on the basis of nucleic acid sequences powerfully complement these approaches by providing experimental access to cell subsets discovered in cell atlases, as well as those that cannot be otherwise isolated, including cells infected with pathogens, with specific DNA mutations or with unique transcriptional or splicing signatures. We recently developed a nucleic acid cytometry platform called 'focused interrogation of cells by nucleic acid detection and sequencing' (FIND-seq), capable of isolating rare cells on the basis of RNA or DNA markers, followed by bulk or single-cell transcriptomic analysis. This platform has previously been used to characterize the splicing-dependent activation of the transcription factor XBP1 in astrocytes and HIV persistence in memory CD4 T cells from people on long-term antiretroviral therapy. Here, we outline the molecular and microfluidic steps involved in performing FIND-seq, including protocol updates that allow detection and whole transcriptome sequencing of rare HIV-infected cells that harbor genetically intact virus genomes. FIND-seq requires knowledge of microfluidics, optics and molecular biology. We expect that FIND-seq, and this comprehensive protocol, will enable mechanistic studies of rare HIV+ cells, as well as other cell subsets that were previously difficult to recover and sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung Won Shin
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Prakriti Mudvari
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shravan Thaploo
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael A Wheeler
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel C Douek
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eli A Boritz
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adam R Abate
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Iain C Clark
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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2
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Guo K, Du L, Ling X, Lü Y, He L, Luo X. Microscopic Mechanism for Gradient Diffusion of Salt-Containing Droplets Induced by Electromagnetic Synergy: A Molecular Dynamics Study. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024. [PMID: 39007726 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c01913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
The electromagnetic synergy has been proven to be highly effective in separating oil-water emulsions. However, the dynamic impact mechanism of electromagnetic fields on the internal structure of salt droplets remains unclear. In this study, the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to investigate the molecular diffusion of salt ions and water molecules, as well as the dynamic behavior of droplets under the combined influence of electromagnetic fields. The results indicate that ions accumulate in the electromagnetic synergistic field, causing the deformation amplitude of droplets to be smaller than that in a single electric field. The magnetic field affects the energy of the system, when the magnetic field strength is between 1 and 5T, the nonbonded energy significantly increases nonlinearly; when the magnetic field strength is greater than 5T, the total energy of the system significantly changes. In addition, the viscosity of the medium is significantly lower when the intensity of the magnetic and electric fields is controlled within a specific range, providing a new way to regulate the fluidity of fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Guo
- College of Petrochemical Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, P. R. China
| | - Ling Du
- College of Petrochemical Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Ling
- College of Petrochemical Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, P. R. China
| | - Yuling Lü
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, P. R. China
| | - Limin He
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoming Luo
- College of Pipeline and Civil Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, P. R. China
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3
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Mika T, Kalnins M, Spalvins K. The use of droplet-based microfluidic technologies for accelerated selection of Yarrowia lipolytica and Phaffia rhodozyma yeast mutants. Biol Methods Protoc 2024; 9:bpae049. [PMID: 39114747 PMCID: PMC11303513 DOI: 10.1093/biomethods/bpae049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are widely used for the industrial production of various valuable products, such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, biofuels, enzymes, amino acids, vaccines, etc. Research is constantly carried out to improve their properties, mainly to increase their productivity and efficiency and reduce the cost of the processes. The selection of microorganisms with improved qualities takes a lot of time and resources (both human and material); therefore, this process itself needs optimization. In the last two decades, microfluidics technology appeared in bioengineering, which allows for manipulating small particles (from tens of microns to nanometre scale) in the flow of liquid in microchannels. The technology is based on small-volume objects (microdroplets from nano to femtolitres), which are manipulated using a microchip. The chip is made of an optically transparent inert to liquid medium material and contains a series of channels of small size (<1 mm) of certain geometry. Based on the physical and chemical properties of microparticles (like size, weight, optical density, dielectric constant, etc.), they are separated using microsensors. The idea of accelerated selection of microorganisms is the application of microfluidic technologies to separate mutants with improved qualities after mutagenesis. This article discusses the possible application and practical implementation of microfluidic separation of mutants, including yeasts like Yarrowia lipolytica and Phaffia rhodozyma after chemical mutagenesis will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taras Mika
- Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Riga Technical University, 12 – K1 Āzene street, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia
| | - Martins Kalnins
- Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Riga Technical University, 12 – K1 Āzene street, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia
| | - Kriss Spalvins
- Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Riga Technical University, 12 – K1 Āzene street, Riga, LV-1048, Latvia
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4
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Thakur R, Weitz D. Manipulating the duration of picoinjection controls the injected volume of individual droplets. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2024; 18:044102. [PMID: 38966806 PMCID: PMC11221878 DOI: 10.1063/5.0206830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
The ability to add reagents into droplets is required in many microfluidic workflows. Picoinjection can address this need; however, it is unable to control the injection volume for each individual droplet. Here, we present an improved picoinjection method that can inject controlled volumes into individual droplets. We achieve this by adjusting the injection duration for each picoinjection event. This improved picoinjection method can be used to create complex microfluidic workflows that are able to control the biochemical composition of individual droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - D. Weitz
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:
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5
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Bartkova S, Zapotoczna M, Sanka I, Scheler O. A Guide to Biodetection in Droplets. Anal Chem 2024; 96:9745-9755. [PMID: 38842026 PMCID: PMC11190884 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Droplet-based methods for optical biodetection enable unprecedented high-throughput experimental parameters. The methods, however, remain underused due to the accompanying multidisciplinary and complicated experimental workflows. Here, we provide a tutorial for droplet-based optical biodetection workflows with a focus on the key aspect of label selection. By discussing and guiding readers through recent state-of-the-art studies, we aim to make droplet-based approaches more accessible to the general scientific public.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Bartkova
- Department
of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn
University of Technology (TalTech), Akadeemia tee 15, Tallinn 12618, Estonia
| | - Marta Zapotoczna
- Faculty
of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Immanuel Sanka
- Department
of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn
University of Technology (TalTech), Akadeemia tee 15, Tallinn 12618, Estonia
| | - Ott Scheler
- Department
of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn
University of Technology (TalTech), Akadeemia tee 15, Tallinn 12618, Estonia
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6
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Chai H, Zhu J, Feng Y, Liang F, Wu Q, Ju Z, Huang L, Wang W. Capillarity Enabled Large-Array Liquid Metal Electrodes for Compact and High-Throughput Dielectrophoretic Microfluidics. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2310212. [PMID: 38236647 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202310212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Dielectrophoresis (DEP) particle separation has label-free, well-controllable, and low-damage merits. Sidewall microelectrodes made of liquid metal alloy (LMA) inherits the additional advantage of thick electrodes to generate impactful DEP force. However, existing LMA electrode-based devices lack the ability to integrate large-array electrodes in a compact footprint, severely limiting flow rate and thus throughput. Herein, a facile and versatile method is proposed to integrate high-density thick LMA electrodes in microfluidic devices, taking advantage of the passive control ability of capillary burst valves (CBVs). CBVs with carefully designed burst pressures are co-designed in microfluidic channels, allowing self-assembly of LMA electrode array through simple hand-push injection. The arrayed electrode configuration brings the accumulative DEP deflection effect. Specifically, The fabricated 5000 pairs of sidewall electrodes in a compact chip are demonstrted to achieve ten times higher throughput in DEP deflection. The 5000-electrode-pair device is applied to successfully separate four mixed samples, including human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and A549 cells with the flow rate of 70 µL min-1. It is envisioned that this work can greatly facilitate LMA electrode array fabrication and offer a robust and versatile platform for DEP separation applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huichao Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instrument, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Junwen Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instrument, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Yongxiang Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instrument, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Fei Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instrument, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Qiyan Wu
- The First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, P. R. China
| | - Zhongjian Ju
- The First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, P. R. China
| | - Liang Huang
- School of Instrument Science and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, P. R. China
| | - Wenhui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instrument, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
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7
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Lee HG, Rone JM, Li Z, Akl CF, Shin SW, Lee JH, Flausino LE, Pernin F, Chao CC, Kleemann KL, Srun L, Illouz T, Giovannoni F, Charabati M, Sanmarco LM, Kenison JE, Piester G, Zandee SEJ, Antel JP, Rothhammer V, Wheeler MA, Prat A, Clark IC, Quintana FJ. Disease-associated astrocyte epigenetic memory promotes CNS pathology. Nature 2024; 627:865-872. [PMID: 38509377 PMCID: PMC11016191 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07187-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Disease-associated astrocyte subsets contribute to the pathology of neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis1-8 (EAE), an experimental model for multiple sclerosis. However, little is known about the stability of these astrocyte subsets and their ability to integrate past stimulation events. Here we report the identification of an epigenetically controlled memory astrocyte subset that exhibits exacerbated pro-inflammatory responses upon rechallenge. Specifically, using a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing, assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation with sequencing, focused interrogation of cells by nucleic acid detection and sequencing, and cell-specific in vivo CRISPR-Cas9-based genetic perturbation studies we established that astrocyte memory is controlled by the metabolic enzyme ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), which produces acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) that is used by histone acetyltransferase p300 to control chromatin accessibility. The number of ACLY+p300+ memory astrocytes is increased in acute and chronic EAE models, and their genetic inactivation ameliorated EAE. We also detected the pro-inflammatory memory phenotype in human astrocytes in vitro; single-cell RNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry studies detected increased numbers of ACLY+p300+ astrocytes in chronic multiple sclerosis lesions. In summary, these studies define an epigenetically controlled memory astrocyte subset that promotes CNS pathology in EAE and, potentially, multiple sclerosis. These findings may guide novel therapeutic approaches for multiple sclerosis and other neurologic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Gyun Lee
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph M Rone
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhaorong Li
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Camilo Faust Akl
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seung Won Shin
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Joon-Hyuk Lee
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lucas E Flausino
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Florian Pernin
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Chun-Cheih Chao
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Lena Srun
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tomer Illouz
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Federico Giovannoni
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marc Charabati
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liliana M Sanmarco
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica E Kenison
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gavin Piester
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Stephanie E J Zandee
- Neuroimmunology Research Lab, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jack P Antel
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Veit Rothhammer
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael A Wheeler
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alexandre Prat
- Neuroimmunology Research Lab, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Iain C Clark
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Boston, MA, USA.
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8
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Lee HG, Rone JM, Li Z, Akl CF, Shin SW, Lee JH, Flausino LE, Pernin F, Chao CC, Kleemann KL, Srun L, Illouz T, Giovannoni F, Charabati M, Sanmarco LM, Kenison JE, Piester G, Zandee SEJ, Antel J, Rothhammer V, Wheeler MA, Prat A, Clark IC, Quintana FJ. Disease-associated astrocyte epigenetic memory promotes CNS pathology. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.04.574196. [PMID: 38260616 PMCID: PMC10802318 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.04.574196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Astrocytes play important roles in the central nervous system (CNS) physiology and pathology. Indeed, astrocyte subsets defined by specific transcriptional activation states contribute to the pathology of neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and its pre-clinical model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) 1-8 . However, little is known about the stability of these disease-associated astrocyte subsets, their regulation, and whether they integrate past stimulation events to respond to subsequent challenges. Here, we describe the identification of an epigenetically controlled memory astrocyte subset which exhibits exacerbated pro-inflammatory responses upon re-challenge. Specifically, using a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation with sequencing (ChIP-seq), focused interrogation of cells by nucleic acid detection and sequencing (FIND-seq), and cell-specific in vivo CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic perturbation studies we established that astrocyte memory is controlled by the metabolic enzyme ATP citrate lyase (ACLY), which produces acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) used by the histone acetyltransferase p300 to control chromatin accessibility. ACLY + p300 + memory astrocytes are increased in acute and chronic EAE models; the genetic targeting of ACLY + p300 + astrocytes using CRISPR/Cas9 ameliorated EAE. We also detected responses consistent with a pro-inflammatory memory phenotype in human astrocytes in vitro ; scRNA-seq and immunohistochemistry studies detected increased ACLY + p300 + astrocytes in chronic MS lesions. In summary, these studies define an epigenetically controlled memory astrocyte subset that promotes CNS pathology in EAE and, potentially, MS. These findings may guide novel therapeutic approaches for MS and other neurologic diseases.
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9
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Sun G, Qu L, Azi F, Liu Y, Li J, Lv X, Du G, Chen J, Chen CH, Liu L. Recent progress in high-throughput droplet screening and sorting for bioanalysis. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 225:115107. [PMID: 36731396 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Owing to its ability to isolate single cells and perform high-throughput sorting, droplet sorting has been widely applied in several research fields. Compared with flow cytometry, droplet allows the encapsulation of single cells for cell secretion or lysate analysis. With the rapid development of this technology in the past decade, various droplet sorting devices with high throughput and accuracy have been developed. A droplet sorter with the highest sorting throughput of 30,000 droplets per second was developed in 2015. Since then, increased attention has been paid to expanding the possibilities of droplet sorting technology and strengthening its advantages over flow cytometry. This review aimed to summarize the recent progress in droplet sorting technology from the perspectives of device design, detection signal, actuating force, and applications. Technical details for improving droplet sorting through various approaches are introduced and discussed. Finally, we discuss the current limitations of droplet sorting for single-cell studies along with the existing gap between the laboratory and industry and provide our insights for future development of droplet sorters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoyun Sun
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Lisha Qu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Fidelis Azi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology GTIIT, Shantou, Guangdong, 515063, China
| | - Yanfeng Liu
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Jianghua Li
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Xueqin Lv
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Guocheng Du
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Chia-Hung Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Long Liu
- Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.
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10
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Medcalf EJ, Gantz M, Kaminski TS, Hollfelder F. Ultra-High-Throughput Absorbance-Activated Droplet Sorting for Enzyme Screening at Kilohertz Frequencies. Anal Chem 2023; 95:4597-4604. [PMID: 36848587 PMCID: PMC10018449 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics is a valuable method to "beat the odds" in high throughput screening campaigns such as directed evolution, where valuable hits are infrequent and large library sizes are required. Absorbance-based sorting expands the range of enzyme families that can be subjected to droplet screening by expanding possible assays beyond fluorescence detection. However, absorbance-activated droplet sorting (AADS) is currently ∼10-fold slower than typical fluorescence-activated droplet sorting (FADS), meaning that, in comparison, a larger portion of sequence space is inaccessible due to throughput constraints. Here we improve AADS to reach kHz sorting speeds in an order of magnitude increase over previous designs, with close-to-ideal sorting accuracy. This is achieved by a combination of (i) the use of refractive index matching oil that improves signal quality by removal of side scattering (increasing the sensitivity of absorbance measurements); (ii) a sorting algorithm capable of sorting at this increased frequency with an Arduino Due; and (iii) a chip design that transmits product detection better into sorting decisions without false positives, namely a single-layered inlet to space droplets further apart and injections of "bias oil" providing a fluidic barrier preventing droplets from entering the incorrect sorting channel. The updated ultra-high-throughput absorbance-activated droplet sorter increases the effective sensitivity of absorbance measurements through better signal quality at a speed that matches the more established fluorescence-activated sorting devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot J Medcalf
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Maximilian Gantz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tomasz S Kaminski
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Florian Hollfelder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA Cambridge, United Kingdom
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11
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Wheeler MA, Clark IC, Lee HG, Li Z, Linnerbauer M, Rone JM, Blain M, Akl CF, Piester G, Giovannoni F, Charabati M, Lee JH, Kye YC, Choi J, Sanmarco LM, Srun L, Chung EN, Flausino LE, Andersen BM, Rothhammer V, Yano H, Illouz T, Zandee SEJ, Daniel C, Artis D, Prinz M, Abate AR, Kuchroo VK, Antel JP, Prat A, Quintana FJ. Droplet-based forward genetic screening of astrocyte-microglia cross-talk. Science 2023; 379:1023-1030. [PMID: 36893254 PMCID: PMC10066924 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq4822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Cell-cell interactions in the central nervous system play important roles in neurologic diseases. However, little is known about the specific molecular pathways involved, and methods for their systematic identification are limited. Here, we developed a forward genetic screening platform that combines CRISPR-Cas9 perturbations, cell coculture in picoliter droplets, and microfluidic-based fluorescence-activated droplet sorting to identify mechanisms of cell-cell communication. We used SPEAC-seq (systematic perturbation of encapsulated associated cells followed by sequencing), in combination with in vivo genetic perturbations, to identify microglia-produced amphiregulin as a suppressor of disease-promoting astrocyte responses in multiple sclerosis preclinical models and clinical samples. Thus, SPEAC-seq enables the high-throughput systematic identification of cell-cell communication mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Wheeler
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Iain C. Clark
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Hong-Gyun Lee
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Zhaorong Li
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Mathias Linnerbauer
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joseph M. Rone
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Manon Blain
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Camilo Faust Akl
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gavin Piester
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Federico Giovannoni
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Marc Charabati
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joon-Hyuk Lee
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yoon-Chul Kye
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joshua Choi
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Liliana M. Sanmarco
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lena Srun
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Elizabeth N. Chung
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lucas E. Flausino
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Brian M. Andersen
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurology, Jamaica Plain Veterans Affairs Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02130, USA
| | - Veit Rothhammer
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hiroshi Yano
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Tomer Illouz
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stephanie E. J. Zandee
- Neuroimmunology Research Lab, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Carolin Daniel
- Type 1 Diabetes Immunology, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, 80939 Munich, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung, 85764 Munich-Neuherberg, Germany
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - David Artis
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Friedman Center for Nutrition and Inflammation, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Marco Prinz
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany
- Signaling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Basics in NeuroModulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Adam R. Abate
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Vijay K. Kuchroo
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jack P. Antel
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Alexandre Prat
- Neuroimmunology Research Lab, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Francisco J. Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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12
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Clark IC, Mudvari P, Thaploo S, Smith S, Abu-Laban M, Hamouda M, Theberge M, Shah S, Ko SH, Pérez L, Bunis DG, Lee JS, Kilam D, Zakaria S, Choi S, Darko S, Henry AR, Wheeler MA, Hoh R, Butrus S, Deeks SG, Quintana FJ, Douek DC, Abate AR, Boritz EA. HIV silencing and cell survival signatures in infected T cell reservoirs. Nature 2023; 614:318-325. [PMID: 36599978 PMCID: PMC9908556 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05556-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Rare CD4 T cells that contain HIV under antiretroviral therapy represent an important barrier to HIV cure1-3, but the infeasibility of isolating and characterizing these cells in their natural state has led to uncertainty about whether they possess distinctive attributes that HIV cure-directed therapies might exploit. Here we address this challenge using a microfluidic technology that isolates the transcriptomes of HIV-infected cells based solely on the detection of HIV DNA. HIV-DNA+ memory CD4 T cells in the blood from people receiving antiretroviral therapy showed inhibition of six transcriptomic pathways, including death receptor signalling, necroptosis signalling and antiproliferative Gα12/13 signalling. Moreover, two groups of genes identified by network co-expression analysis were significantly associated with HIV-DNA+ cells. These genes (n = 145) accounted for just 0.81% of the measured transcriptome and included negative regulators of HIV transcription that were higher in HIV-DNA+ cells, positive regulators of HIV transcription that were lower in HIV-DNA+ cells, and other genes involved in RNA processing, negative regulation of mRNA translation, and regulation of cell state and fate. These findings reveal that HIV-infected memory CD4 T cells under antiretroviral therapy are a distinctive population with host gene expression patterns that favour HIV silencing, cell survival and cell proliferation, with important implications for the development of HIV cure strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain C Clark
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Prakriti Mudvari
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shravan Thaploo
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samuel Smith
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mohammad Abu-Laban
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mehdi Hamouda
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Marc Theberge
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sakshi Shah
- Department of Bioengineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sung Hee Ko
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Liliana Pérez
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Daniel G Bunis
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - James S Lee
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Divya Kilam
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Saami Zakaria
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sally Choi
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Samuel Darko
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Amy R Henry
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael A Wheeler
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca Hoh
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Salwan Butrus
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Steven G Deeks
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Daniel C Douek
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adam R Abate
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Eli A Boritz
- Virus Persistence and Dynamics Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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13
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Huang C, Han SI, Zhang H, Han A. Tutorial on Lateral Dielectrophoretic Manipulations in Microfluidic Systems. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS 2023; 17:21-32. [PMID: 37015136 PMCID: PMC10091972 DOI: 10.1109/tbcas.2022.3226675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems can offer cost- and time-efficient biological assays by providing high-throughput analysis at very small volume scale. Among these extremely broad ranges of assays, accurate and specific cell and reagent control is considered one of the most important functions. Dielectrophoretic (DEP)-based manipulation technologies have been extensively developed for these purposes due to their label-free and high selectivity natures as well as due to their simple microstructures. Here, we provide a tutorial on how to develop DEP-based microfluidic systems, including a detailed walkthrough of dielectrophoresis theory, instruction on how to conduct simulation and calculation of electric field and generated DEP force, followed with guidance on microfabricating two forms of DEP microfluidic systems, namely lateral DEP and droplet DEP, and how best to conduct experiments in such systems. Finally, we summarize most recent DEP-based microfluidic technologies and applications, including systems for blood diagnoses, pathogenicity studies, in-droplet content manipulations, droplet manipulations and merging, to name a few. We conclude by suggesting possible future directions on how DEP-based technologies can be utilized to overcome current challenges and improve the current status in microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems.
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14
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Clark IC, Wheeler MA, Lee HG, Li Z, Sanmarco LM, Thaploo S, Polonio CM, Shin SW, Scalisi G, Henry AR, Rone JM, Giovannoni F, Charabati M, Akl CF, Aleman DM, Zandee SEJ, Prat A, Douek DC, Boritz EA, Quintana FJ, Abate AR. Identification of astrocyte regulators by nucleic acid cytometry. Nature 2023; 614:326-333. [PMID: 36599367 PMCID: PMC9980163 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05613-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system1. Astrocytes are heterogeneous glial cells that are resident in the central nervous system and participate in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and its model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis2,3. However, few unique surface markers are available for the isolation of astrocyte subsets, preventing their analysis and the identification of candidate therapeutic targets; these limitations are further amplified by the rarity of pathogenic astrocytes. Here, to address these challenges, we developed focused interrogation of cells by nucleic acid detection and sequencing (FIND-seq), a high-throughput microfluidic cytometry method that combines encapsulation of cells in droplets, PCR-based detection of target nucleic acids and droplet sorting to enable in-depth transcriptomic analyses of cells of interest at single-cell resolution. We applied FIND-seq to study the regulation of astrocytes characterized by the splicing-driven activation of the transcription factor XBP1, which promotes disease pathology in multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis4. Using FIND-seq in combination with conditional-knockout mice, in vivo CRISPR-Cas9-driven genetic perturbation studies and bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing analyses of samples from mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and humans with multiple sclerosis, we identified a new role for the nuclear receptor NR3C2 and its corepressor NCOR2 in limiting XBP1-driven pathogenic astrocyte responses. In summary, we used FIND-seq to identify a therapeutically targetable mechanism that limits XBP1-driven pathogenic astrocyte responses. FIND-seq enables the investigation of previously inaccessible cells, including rare cell subsets defined by unique gene expression signatures or other nucleic acid markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain C Clark
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Wheeler
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hong-Gyun Lee
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhaorong Li
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Liliana M Sanmarco
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shravan Thaploo
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carolina M Polonio
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seung Won Shin
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Giulia Scalisi
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amy R Henry
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joseph M Rone
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Federico Giovannoni
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marc Charabati
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Camilo Faust Akl
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dulce M Aleman
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie E J Zandee
- Neuroimmunology Research Lab, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alexandre Prat
- Neuroimmunology Research Lab, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Daniel C Douek
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eli A Boritz
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Adam R Abate
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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15
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Design and construction of a microfluidics workstation for high-throughput multi-wavelength fluorescence and transmittance activated droplet analysis and sorting. Nat Protoc 2023; 18:1090-1136. [PMID: 36707723 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-022-00796-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics has revolutionized quantitative high-throughput bioassays and screening, especially in the field of single-cell analysis where applications include cell characterization, antibody discovery and directed evolution. However, droplet microfluidic platforms capable of phenotypic, fluorescence-based readouts and sorting are still mostly found in specialized labs, because their setup is complex. Complementary to conventional FACS, microfluidic droplet sorters allow the screening of cell libraries for secreted factors, or even for the effects of secreted or surface-displayed factors on a second cell type. Furthermore, they also enable PCR-activated droplet sorting for the isolation of genetic material harboring specific markers. In this protocol, we provide a detailed step-by-step guide for the construction of a high-throughput droplet analyzer and sorter, which can be accomplished in ~45 working hours by nonspecialists. The resulting instrument is equipped with three lasers to excite the fluorophores in droplets and photosensors that acquire fluorescence signals in the blue (425-465 nm), green (505-545 nm) and red (580-630 nm) spectrum. This instrument also allows transmittance-activated droplet sorting by analyzing the brightfield light intensity transmitting through the droplets. The setup is validated by sorting droplets containing fluorescent beads at 200 Hz with 99.4% accuracy. We show results from an experiment where droplets hosting single cells were sorted on the basis of increased matrix metalloprotease activity as an application of our workstation in single-cell molecular biology, e.g., to analyze molecular determinants of cancer metastasis.
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16
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Huang C, Jiang Y, Li Y, Zhang H. Droplet Detection and Sorting System in Microfluidics: A Review. MICROMACHINES 2022; 14:mi14010103. [PMID: 36677164 PMCID: PMC9867185 DOI: 10.3390/mi14010103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Since being invented, droplet microfluidic technologies have been proven to be perfect tools for high-throughput chemical and biological functional screening applications, and they have been heavily studied and improved through the past two decades. Each droplet can be used as one single bioreactor to compartmentalize a big material or biological population, so millions of droplets can be individually screened based on demand, while the sorting function could extract the droplets of interest to a separate pool from the main droplet library. In this paper, we reviewed droplet detection and active sorting methods that are currently still being widely used for high-through screening applications in microfluidic systems, including the latest updates regarding each technology. We analyze and summarize the merits and drawbacks of each presented technology and conclude, with our perspectives, on future direction of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77842, USA
| | - Yuqian Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Yuwen Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77842, USA
| | - Han Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77842, USA
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17
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Samlali K, Alves CL, Jezernik M, Shih SCC. Droplet digital microfluidic system for screening filamentous fungi based on enzymatic activity. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2022; 8:123. [PMID: 36438986 PMCID: PMC9681769 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-022-00456-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Fungal cell-wall-degrading enzymes have great utility in the agricultural and food industries. These cell-wall-degrading enzymes are known to have functions that can help defend against pathogenic organisms. The existing methods used to discover these enzymes are not well adapted to fungi culture and morphology, which prevents the proper evaluation of these enzymes. We report the first droplet-based microfluidic method capable of long-term incubation and low-voltage conditions to sort filamentous fungi inside nanoliter-sized droplets. The new method was characterized and validated in solid-phase media based on colloidal chitin such that the incubation of single spores in droplets was possible over multiple days (2-4 days) and could be sorted without droplet breakage. With long-term culture, we examined the activity of cell-wall-degrading enzymes produced by fungi during solid-state droplet fermentation using three highly sensitive fluorescein-based substrates. We also used the low-voltage droplet sorter to select clones with highly active cell-wall-degrading enzymes, such as chitinases, β-glucanases, and β-N-acetylgalactosaminidases, from a filamentous fungi droplet library that had been incubated for >4 days. The new system is portable, affordable for any laboratory, and user-friendly compared to classical droplet-based microfluidic systems. We propose that this system will be useful for the growing number of scientists interested in fungal microbiology who are seeking high-throughput methods to incubate and sort a large library of fungal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenza Samlali
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montréal, QC Canada
- Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - Chiara Leal Alves
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montréal, QC Canada
- Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - Mara Jezernik
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Steve C. C. Shih
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montréal, QC Canada
- Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC Canada
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC Canada
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18
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Mu R, Bu N, Pang J, Wang L, Zhang Y. Recent Trends of Microfluidics in Food Science and Technology: Fabrications and Applications. Foods 2022; 11:foods11223727. [PMID: 36429319 PMCID: PMC9689895 DOI: 10.3390/foods11223727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of novel materials with microstructures is now a trend in food science and technology. These microscale materials may be applied across all steps in food manufacturing, from raw materials to the final food products, as well as in the packaging, transport, and storage processes. Microfluidics is an advanced technology for controlling fluids in a microscale channel (1~100 μm), which integrates engineering, physics, chemistry, nanotechnology, etc. This technology allows unit operations to occur in devices that are closer in size to the expected structural elements. Therefore, microfluidics is considered a promising technology to develop micro/nanostructures for delivery purposes to improve the quality and safety of foods. This review concentrates on the recent developments of microfluidic systems and their novel applications in food science and technology, including microfibers/films via microfluidic spinning technology for food packaging, droplet microfluidics for food micro-/nanoemulsifications and encapsulations, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruojun Mu
- College of Food Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Subtropical Characteristic Fruits, Vegetables and Edible Fungi Processing (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201106, China
- Correspondence: (R.M.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Nitong Bu
- College of Food Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Jie Pang
- College of Food Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Subtropical Characteristic Fruits, Vegetables and Edible Fungi Processing (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201106, China
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
- Correspondence: (R.M.); (Y.Z.)
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19
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Qiao Y, Hu R, Chen D, Wang L, Wang Z, Yu H, Fu Y, Li C, Dong Z, Weng YX, Du W. Fluorescence-activated droplet sorting of PET degrading microorganisms. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 424:127417. [PMID: 34673397 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Enzymes that can decompose synthetic plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are urgently needed. Still, a bottleneck remains due to a lack of techniques for detecting and sorting environmental microorganisms with vast diversity and abundance. Here, we developed a fluorescence-activated droplet sorting (FADS) pipeline for high-throughput screening of PET-degrading microorganisms or enzymes (PETases). The pipeline comprises three steps: generation and incubation of droplets encapsulating single cells, picoinjection of fluorescein dibenzoate (FDBz) as the fluorogenic probe, and screening of droplets to obtain PET-degrading cells. We characterized critical factors associated with this method, including specificity and sensitivity for discriminating PETase from other enzymes. We then optimized its performance and compatibility with environmental samples. The system was used to screen a wastewater sample from a PET textile mill. We successfully obtained PET-degrading species from nine different genera. Moreover, two putative PETases from isolates Kineococcus endophyticus Un-5 and Staphylococcus epidermidis Un-C2-8 were genetically derived, heterologously expressed, and preliminarily validated for PET-degrading activities. We speculate that the FADS pipeline can be widely adopted to discover new plastic-degrading microorganisms and enzymes in various environments and may be utilized in the directed evolution of degrading enzymes using synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ran Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Dongwei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Li Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhiyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Haiyan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ye Fu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation Technology for Hygiene and Safety of Plastics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Chunli Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhiyang Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yun-Xuan Weng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation Technology for Hygiene and Safety of Plastics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China.
| | - Wenbin Du
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Savid Medical School, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Department of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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20
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Hatori MN, Modavi C, Xu P, Weisgerber D, Abate AR. Dual-layered hydrogels allow complete genome recovery with nucleic acid cytometry. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100483. [PMID: 35088927 PMCID: PMC9208836 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Targeting specific cells for sequencing is important for applications in cancer, microbiology, and infectious disease. Nucleic acid cytometry is a powerful approach for accomplishing this because it allows specific cells to be isolated based on sequence biomarkers that are otherwise impossible to detect. However, existing methods require specialized microfluidic devices, limiting adoption. Here, we describe a modified workflow that uses particle-templated emulsification and flow cytometry to conduct the essential steps of cell detection and sorting normally accomplished by microfluidics. Our microfluidic-free workflow allows facile isolation and sequencing of cells, viruses, and nucleic acids and thus provides a powerful enrichment approach for targeted sequencing applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makiko N Hatori
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Cyrus Modavi
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Daniel Weisgerber
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Adam R Abate
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
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21
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Manteca A, Gadea A, Van Assche D, Cossard P, Gillard-Bocquet M, Beneyton T, Innis CA, Baret JC. Directed Evolution in Drops: Molecular Aspects and Applications. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2772-2783. [PMID: 34677942 PMCID: PMC8609573 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The process of optimizing the properties of biological molecules is paramount for many industrial and medical applications. Directed evolution is a powerful technique for modifying and improving biomolecules such as proteins or nucleic acids (DNA or RNA). Mimicking the mechanism of natural evolution, one can enhance a desired property by applying a suitable selection pressure and sorting improved variants. Droplet-based microfluidic systems offer a high-throughput solution to this approach by helping to overcome the limiting screening steps and allowing the analysis of variants within increasingly complex libraries. Here, we review cases where successful evolution of biomolecules was achieved using droplet-based microfluidics, focusing on the molecular processes involved and the incorporation of microfluidics to the workflow. We highlight the advantages and limitations of these microfluidic systems compared to low-throughput methods and show how the integration of these systems into directed evolution workflows can open new avenues to discover or improve biomolecules according to user-defined conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitor Manteca
- Univ.
Bordeaux, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche
Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ARNA,
U1212, UMR 5320, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Alejandra Gadea
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, CRPP, UMR 5031, F-33610, Pessac, France
| | | | - Pauline Cossard
- Univ.
Bordeaux, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche
Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ARNA,
U1212, UMR 5320, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Mélanie Gillard-Bocquet
- Univ.
Bordeaux, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche
Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ARNA,
U1212, UMR 5320, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Thomas Beneyton
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, CRPP, UMR 5031, F-33610, Pessac, France
| | - C. Axel Innis
- Univ.
Bordeaux, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche
Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ARNA,
U1212, UMR 5320, Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Baret
- Univ.
Bordeaux, CNRS, CRPP, UMR 5031, F-33610, Pessac, France
- Institut
Universitaire de France, F-75231 Paris, France
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22
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Loo MH, Nakagawa Y, Kim SH, Isozaki A, Goda K. High-throughput sorting of nanoliter droplets enabled by a sequentially addressable dielectrophoretic array. Electrophoresis 2021; 43:477-486. [PMID: 34599837 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202100057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics has emerged as a powerful tool for a diverse range of biomedical and industrial applications such as single-cell analysis, directed evolution, and metabolic engineering. In these applications, droplet sorting has been effective for isolating small droplets encapsulating molecules, cells, or crystals of interest. Recently, there is an increased interest in extending the applicability of droplet sorting to larger droplets to utilize their size advantage. However, sorting throughputs of large droplets have been limited, hampering their wide adoption. Here, we report our demonstration of high-throughput fluorescence-activated droplet sorting of 1 nL droplets using an upgraded version of the sequentially addressable dielectrophoretic array (SADA), which we reported previously. The SADA is an array of electrodes that are individually and sequentially activated/deactivated according to the speed and position of a droplet passing nearby the array. We upgraded the SADA by increasing the number of driving electrodes constituting the SADA and incorporating a slanted microchannel. By using a ten-electrode SADA with the slanted microchannel, we achieved fluorescence-activated droplet sorting of 1 nL droplets at a record high throughput of 1752 droplets/s, twice as high as the previously reported maximum sorting throughput of 1 nL droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mun Hong Loo
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuta Nakagawa
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Soo Hyeon Kim
- Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiro Isozaki
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Keisuke Goda
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei, P. R. China
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23
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Huang C, Zhang H, Han SI, Han A. Cell Washing and Solution Exchange in Droplet Microfluidic Systems. Anal Chem 2021; 93:8622-8630. [PMID: 34110770 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c01558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Water-in-oil emulsion droplet microfluidic systems have been extensively developed, and currently, almost all cell handling steps can be conducted in this format. An exception is the cell washing and solution exchange step, which is commonly utilized in many conventional cell assays. This paper presents an in-droplet cell washing and solution exchange technology that utilizes dielectrophoretic (DEP) force to move all cells to one side of a droplet, followed by asymmetrical splitting of the droplet to obtain a small daughter droplet that contains all or most of the cells, and then finally merges this cell-concentrated droplet with a new droplet that contains the desired solution. These sequential droplet manipulation steps were integrated into a single platform, where up to 88% of the original solution in the droplet could be exchanged with the new solution while keeping cell loss to less than 5%. Two application examples were demonstrated using the developed technology. In the first example, green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells were manipulated using negative DEP force to exchange the regular culture medium with a nitrogen-limited medium to induce lipid production. In the second example, Salmonella enterica cells were manipulated using positive DEP force to replace fluorescent dye that models fluorescent cell stains that contribute to high background noise in fluorescence-based droplet content detection with fresh buffer solution, significantly improving the droplet content detection sensitivity. Since the cell washing step is one of the most frequently utilized steps in many cell biology assays, we expect that the developed technology can significantly broaden the type of assay that can be conducted in droplet microfluidic format.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Huang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Han Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Song-I Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Arum Han
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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24
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Clark IC, Delley CL, Sun C, Thakur R, Stott SL, Thaploo S, Li Z, Quintana FJ, Abate AR. Targeted Single-Cell RNA and DNA Sequencing With Fluorescence-Activated Droplet Merger. Anal Chem 2020; 92:14616-14623. [PMID: 33049138 PMCID: PMC8182774 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c03059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Analyzing every cell in a diverse sample provides insight into population-level heterogeneity, but abundant cell types dominate the analysis and rarer populations are scarcely represented in the data. To focus on specific cell types, the current paradigm is to physically isolate subsets of interest prior to analysis; however, it remains difficult to isolate and then single-cell sequence such populations because of compounding losses. Here, we describe an alternative approach that selectively merges cells with reagents to achieve enzymatic reactions without having to physically isolate cells. We apply this technique to perform single-cell transcriptome and genome sequencing of specific cell subsets. Our method for analyzing heterogeneous populations obviates the need for pre- or post-enrichment and simplifies single-cell workflows, making it useful for other applications in single-cell biology, combinatorial chemical synthesis, and drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain C Clark
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Cyrille L Delley
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Chen Sun
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Rohan Thakur
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, United States
| | - Shannon L Stott
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, United States
| | - Shravan Thaploo
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Zhaorong Li
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Adam R Abate
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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25
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Isozaki A, Nakagawa Y, Loo MH, Shibata Y, Tanaka N, Setyaningrum DL, Park JW, Shirasaki Y, Mikami H, Huang D, Tsoi H, Riche CT, Ota T, Miwa H, Kanda Y, Ito T, Yamada K, Iwata O, Suzuki K, Ohnuki S, Ohya Y, Kato Y, Hasunuma T, Matsusaka S, Yamagishi M, Yazawa M, Uemura S, Nagasawa K, Watarai H, Di Carlo D, Goda K. Sequentially addressable dielectrophoretic array for high-throughput sorting of large-volume biological compartments. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba6712. [PMID: 32524002 PMCID: PMC7259936 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba6712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics has become a powerful tool in precision medicine, green biotechnology, and cell therapy for single-cell analysis and selection by virtue of its ability to effectively confine cells. However, there remains a fundamental trade-off between droplet volume and sorting throughput, limiting the advantages of droplet microfluidics to small droplets (<10 pl) that are incompatible with long-term maintenance and growth of most cells. We present a sequentially addressable dielectrophoretic array (SADA) sorter to overcome this problem. The SADA sorter uses an on-chip array of electrodes activated and deactivated in a sequence synchronized to the speed and position of a passing target droplet to deliver an accumulated dielectrophoretic force and gently pull it in the direction of sorting in a high-speed flow. We use it to demonstrate large-droplet sorting with ~20-fold higher throughputs than conventional techniques and apply it to long-term single-cell analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on their growth rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Isozaki
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 213-0012, Japan
| | - Y. Nakagawa
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - M. H. Loo
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Y. Shibata
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - N. Tanaka
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - D. L. Setyaningrum
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - J.-W. Park
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Y. Shirasaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Science Building 1 (East), Room 575, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - H. Mikami
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - D. Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - H. Tsoi
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - C. T. Riche
- Department of Bioengineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 420 Westwood Plaza, 5121E Engineering V, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - T. Ota
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - H. Miwa
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Y. Kanda
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - T. Ito
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8, Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - K. Yamada
- R&D Department, euglena Co., Ltd., 75-1, Ono-machi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi 230-0046, Japan
| | - O. Iwata
- R&D Department, euglena Co., Ltd., 75-1, Ono-machi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi 230-0046, Japan
| | - K. Suzuki
- R&D Department, euglena Co., Ltd., 75-1, Ono-machi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi 230-0046, Japan
| | - S. Ohnuki
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
| | - Y. Ohya
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
- AIST-UTokyo Advanced Operando-Measurement Technology Open Innovation Laboratory (OPERANDO-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8589, Japan
| | - Y. Kato
- Graduate School of Science, Technology Innovation, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - T. Hasunuma
- Graduate School of Science, Technology Innovation, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
- Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - S. Matsusaka
- Clinical Research and Regional Innovation, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - M. Yamagishi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Science Building 1 (East), Room 575, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - M. Yazawa
- Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Pharmacology, Columbia University, 650 West 168th Street, BB1108, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - S. Uemura
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Science Building 1 (East), Room 575, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - K. Nagasawa
- Division of Stem Cell Cellomics, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - H. Watarai
- Division of Stem Cell Cellomics, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
- Department of Immunology and Stem Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - D. Di Carlo
- Department of Bioengineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 420 Westwood Plaza, 5121E Engineering V, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - K. Goda
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, East Chemistry Building, Room 213, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Bioengineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 420 Westwood Plaza, 5121E Engineering V, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8, Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
- Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei 430072, China
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26
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Wang Y, Sun D, Li Y, Chen S, Yu B. Migration behaviors of leaky dielectric droplets with electric and hydrodynamic forces. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:033113. [PMID: 31640065 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.033113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The external electric field enables separation and transport of droplets effectively in microfluidic devices. Herein, a volume-of-fluid (VOF) + level-set (LS) + smoothed physical parameters (SPP) method associated with the dynamically adaptive grid technique is extended to simulate three-dimensional leaky dielectric droplets in the electric field. The effects of electric and hydrodynamic forces on droplet behaviors are investigated. It is demonstrated that the electric force could act toward the outside or inside of a droplet and produce different droplet deformations. For the dielectrophoretic migration of droplets in the nonuniform electric field, the electric force has a dominant effect. It is found that when the electric conductivity ratio is greater than 1, an unbalanced electric force toward a stronger electric field is generated, bringing about the migration toward a stronger electric field. In contrast, when the electric conductivity ratio is smaller than 1, the unbalanced electric force direction is reversed and the droplet migrates toward a weaker electric field. The hydrodynamic force produces little promotion or hindrance to droplet migration. A greater permittivity ratio usually produces greater electric force and migration velocity. The droplet migrates along one direction in a symmetric nonuniform electric field but tends to migrate along the normal direction of electric potential profiles in an asymmetric nonuniform electric field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanning Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, 19 Qingyuan North Rd., Beijing 102617, China.,Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering of MOE, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Dongliang Sun
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, 19 Qingyuan North Rd., Beijing 102617, China
| | - Yinshi Li
- Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering of MOE, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Shuai Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, 19 Qingyuan North Rd., Beijing 102617, China
| | - Bo Yu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, 19 Qingyuan North Rd., Beijing 102617, China
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27
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Schütz SS, Beneyton T, Baret JC, Schneider TM. Rational design of a high-throughput droplet sorter. LAB ON A CHIP 2019; 19:2220-2232. [PMID: 31157806 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00149b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The high-throughput selection of individual droplets is an essential function in droplet-based microfluidics. Fluorescence-activated droplet sorting is achieved using electric fields triggered at rates up to 30 kHz, providing the ultra-high throughput relevant in applications where large libraries of compounds or cells must be analyzed. To achieve such sorting frequencies, electrodes have to create an electric field distribution that generates maximal actuating forces on the droplet while limiting the induced droplet deformation and avoid disintegration. We propose a metric characterizing the performance of an electrode design relative to the theoretical optimum and analyze existing devices using full 3D simulations of the electric fields. By combining parameter optimization with numerical simulation we derive rational design guidelines and propose optimized electrode configurations. When tested experimentally, the optimized design show significantly better performance than the standard designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon S Schütz
- Emergent Complexity in Physical Systems Laboratory (ECPS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 9, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Dong H, Liu Y, Zhou Y, Liu T, Li M, Yang Z. Mechanism investigation of coalescence behaviors of conducting droplets by molecular dynamics simulations. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Göpfrich K, Haller B, Staufer O, Dreher Y, Mersdorf U, Platzman I, Spatz JP. One-Pot Assembly of Complex Giant Unilamellar Vesicle-Based Synthetic Cells. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:937-947. [PMID: 31042361 PMCID: PMC6528161 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
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Here, we introduce
a one-pot method for the bottom-up assembly
of complex single- and multicompartment synthetic cells. Cellular
components are enclosed within giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs),
produced at the milliliter scale directly from small unilamellar vesicles
(SUVs) or proteoliposomes with only basic laboratory equipment within
minutes. Toward this end, we layer an aqueous solution, containing
SUVs and all biocomponents, on top of an oil–surfactant mix.
Manual shaking induces the spontaneous formation of surfactant-stabilized
water-in-oil droplets with a spherical supported lipid bilayer at
their periphery. Finally, to release GUV-based synthetic cells from
the oil and the surfactant shell into the physiological environment,
we add an aqueous buffer and a droplet-destabilizing agent. We prove
that the obtained GUVs are unilamellar by reconstituting the pore-forming
membrane protein α-hemolysin and assess the membrane quality
with cryotransmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM), fluorescence
recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and zeta-potential measurements
as well as confocal fluorescence imaging. We further demonstrate that
our GUV formation method overcomes key challenges of standard techniques,
offering high volumes, a flexible choice of lipid compositions and
buffer conditions, straightforward coreconstitution of proteins, and
a high encapsulation efficiency of biomolecules and even large cargo
including cells. We thereby provide a simple, robust, and broadly
applicable strategy to mass-produce complex multicomponent GUVs for
high-throughput testing in synthetic biology and biomedicine, which
can directly be implemented in laboratories around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Göpfrich
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Cellular Biophysics, Jahnstraße 29, D 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, D 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Barbara Haller
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Cellular Biophysics, Jahnstraße 29, D 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, D 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Oskar Staufer
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Cellular Biophysics, Jahnstraße 29, D 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, D 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yannik Dreher
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Cellular Biophysics, Jahnstraße 29, D 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, D 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Mersdorf
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Jahnstraße 29, D 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ilia Platzman
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Cellular Biophysics, Jahnstraße 29, D 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, D 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joachim P. Spatz
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Cellular Biophysics, Jahnstraße 29, D 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, D 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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