Aptamers as Reversible Sorting Ligands in Dual FACS and MACS: Antisense and Nuclease-Mediated Approaches

Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) and Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting (MACS) are two essential tools for cell separation in research and medicine. Antibodies, the gold standard in both of these methods, are effective ligands for cell-surface biomarkers, but their irreversible binding precludes a wide variety of downstream medical and experimental applications. Aptamers – nucleic acid ligands with a defined three-dimensional structure that enables them to bind a molecular target with a high degree of specificity – offer a viable alternative for this particular obstacle because their RNA- or DNA-based chemistry enables their removal from cellular targets. In these studies, we present examples of successful sorting of cells and removal of the targeting aptamers with MACS and FACS using both the previously-published antisense-based method of post-sorting aptamer removal and a more general approach using nuclease-based digestion of targeting aptamers on the cell surface after cell isolation. We believe this work can be used in a number of potential post-sorting applications where targeting ligands or attached magnetic or fluorescent moieties could interfere with experimental or clinical results.