High-throughput genome-wide phenotypic screening via immunomagnetic cell sorting

Nat Biomed Eng. 2019 Oct;3(10):796-805. doi: 10.1038/s41551-019-0454-8. Epub 2019 Sep 23.

Abstract

Genome-scale functional genetic screens are used to identify key genetic regulators of a phenotype of interest. However, the identification of genetic modifications that lead to a phenotypic change requires sorting large numbers of cells, which increases operational times and costs and limits cell viability. Here, we introduce immunomagnetic cell sorting facilitated by a microfluidic chip as a rapid and scalable high-throughput method for loss-of-function phenotypic screening using CRISPR-Cas9. We used the method to process an entire genome-wide screen containing more than 108 cells in less than 1 h-considerably surpassing the throughput achieved by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, the gold-standard technique for phenotypic cell sorting-while maintaining high levels of cell viability. We identified modulators of the display of CD47, which is a negative regulator of phagocytosis and an important cell-surface target for immuno-oncology drugs. The top hit of the screen, the glutaminyl cyclase QPCTL, was validated and shown to modify the N-terminal glutamine of CD47. The method presented could bridge the gap between fluorescence-activated cell sorting and less flexible yet higher-throughput systems such as magnetic-activated cell sorting.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • CD47 Antigen / metabolism
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Gene Editing
  • Genome*
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays / methods*
  • Humans
  • Immunomagnetic Separation / methods*
  • Immunotherapy
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
  • Neoplasms / therapy
  • Phenotype*

Substances

  • CD47 Antigen
  • CD47 protein, human

Grants and funding