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. 2022 Oct 20;89(12):597–607. doi: 10.1002/mrd.23648

Table 1.

Single‐cell isolation techniques used in the human ovary

Technique Description Infographic Targeted or untargeted Fixed or fresh Limitations scRNA‐seq paper using the technique
Direct cell lysis (DCL)
  • Researcher mechanically isolates single cells of interest and places them directly into a lysis or storage buffer.
graphic file with name MRD-89-597-g001.jpg Untargeted Fresh
  • Technically the most challenging and time‐consuming
  • Not ideal for “whole tissue” atlasing
Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS)
  • Specialized flow cytometry. Sorts heterogeneous cell mixture one cell at a time based on light scattering and fluorescent characteristics of the cell.
  • Used in conjunction with DCL
graphic file with name MRD-89-597-g004.jpg Targeted Fresh
  • Requires a cell surface marker for separation so excludes rare cell types
  • Bulk groups of cells are isolated so an additional method of individual isolation is needed
Magnetic‐activated cell sorting (MACS)
  • Target cells are tagged with magnetic particles bound to antibodies and passed through a magnetic field. Isolates cells into bulk groups.
  • Using in conjunction with DCL
graphic file with name MRD-89-597-g003.jpg Targeted Fresh
  • Requires a cell surface marker for separation so excludes rare cell types
  • Bulk groups of cells are isolated so an additional method of individual isolation is needed
Laser‐capture microdissection (LCM)
  • Tissue is paraffin‐embedded and sectioned. Outline of cells of interest is marked and cut using a UV laser. Cells are lifted onto a sterile cap for RNA collection.
graphic file with name MRD-89-597-g005.jpg Untargeted Fixed
  • Tissue fixation could alter/damage RNA quality
  • Imprecise and subjective method of cutting out cells of interest
a

All improvement of IVF outcomes papers used the DCL method. Infographics created in BioRender.com.