The MACSflex™ MicroBeads offer an NHS-activated surface for flexible and fast covalent coupling of a variety of biomolecules (e.g. antibodies, proteins, oligonucleotides, peptides) without additional reagents or time-consuming steps. The fast coupling procedure allows you to use the coupled MicroBeads in downstream applications, such as epitope-tagged protein isolations and organelle isolations, within the same working day. MACSflex MicroBeads are pre-activated, so the functional group N-hydroxy-succinimide (NHS) is ready to be coupled to a ligand carrying at least one free amino group.
Detailed procedure
The MACSflex™ MicroBeads are optimized for rapid, straightforward coupling to biomolecules and provided in a lyophilized format for easy reconstitution. After incubation with the biomolecule of choice, MACSflex MicroBeads are purified over µMACS Columns for immediate use. The ligand must carry an amino group and is coupled to the pre-activated MACSflex MicroBeads via N-hydroxy-succinimide (NHS). The recommended amount of biomolecule is within the range of 50 to 1000 pmol per milligram of MACSflex MicroBeads. If coupling and subsequent downstream use of the conjugated MACSflex MicroBeads are planned for the same day, the coupling can be stopped using the Stop Reagent followed by column purification of the MACSflex MicroBeads. If storage of the coupled MACSflex MicroBeads is intended for later use, the coupling reaction should be performed overnight followed by column purification.
Downstream applications
The MACSflex™ MicroBead Kits were developed for covalent coupling of biomolecules for use in molecular applications using MACS
®
Technology. Once coupled to the biomolecules, MACSflex MicroBeads can be used directly in downstream applications such as epitope tagged protein isolations and organelle isolations. If the coupled MACSflex MicroBeads are not intended to be used immediately, they can be coupled overnight followed by a washing step, for storage up to 4 weeks at 2–8 °C. The MACSflex MicroBeads exhibit all advantages of µMACS MicroBead Technology including very low non-specific binding, easy handling, minimal hands-on time, and high sensitivity due to the small size of the MicroBeads. Flexible coupling to nearly any primary amine-containing biomolecule makes MACSflex MicroBeads an ideal choice for many downstream applications.