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Single Bacteria Studies Using Microfluidics

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Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols

Part of the book series: Springer Protocols Handbooks ((SPH))

Abstract

The importance of individual heterogeneity within a genetically identical population has become well recognized. However, single bacteria studies have been beset by a number of challenges ranging from single-cell handling to detection. Most of these stem from bacteria’s microscale dimensions and the complexity of their natural environment. In recent years, microfluidics has emerged as a powerful tool to manipulate single cells and their immediate microenvironments and is well suited to address these challenges. The protocols below will describe the creation of microfluidic devices for monolayer cell culture and long-term tracking of morphological dynamics from individual bacteria under precisely delivered perturbations. Step-by-step procedures for on-chip assays and morphological-based image analysis are described in detail, and these approaches enable fast quantification of bacteria growth and morphological changes under a broad range of conditions within a single experiment. Importantly, these methods do not require labeling of cells, thereby offering unique advantages in the investigation of naturally occurring microbes.

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Acknowledgment

We thank the support from EPSRC (EP/H04986X/1 and EP/J009121/1) and from Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program (No.20121087922). We gratefully acknowledge the technical team of the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (JWNC) at University of Glasgow for the support in fabricating the devices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Yanqing Song, Bing Li & Huabing Yin

  2. Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State-Key Joint Laboratory, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Bing Li & Yong Qiu

Authors
  1. Yanqing Song
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  2. Bing Li
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  3. Yong Qiu
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  4. Huabing Yin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Huabing Yin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom

    Terry J. McGenity

  2. Institute of Microbiology, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    Kenneth N. Timmis

  3. Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands and Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC), Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Balbina Nogales

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Song, Y., Li, B., Qiu, Y., Yin, H. (2015). Single Bacteria Studies Using Microfluidics. In: McGenity, T., Timmis, K., Nogales , B. (eds) Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2015_70

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2015_70

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-45178-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-45179-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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