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Related Concept Videos

Microbial Biosensors01:17

Microbial Biosensors

Microbial biosensors are analytical devices that utilize living microbes to detect specific substances through measurable signals. These devices consist of two main components: biosensing organisms and signal-transducing elements. Biosensing organisms, such as Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are typically housed in multiwell plates connected to transducers, enabling rapid, real-time detection of target analytes.Signal Generation MechanismWhen a target analyte—such as...

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Related Experiment Video

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Investigating Receptor-ligand Systems of the Cellulosome with AFM-based Single-molecule Force Spectroscopy
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Bioinspired single bacterial cell force spectroscopy.

Seoktae Kang1, Menachem Elimelech

  • 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, USA.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|July 29, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Researchers created a new method to attach live bacterial cells to atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilevers using a polydopamine adhesive. This technique preserves cell viability, enabling more accurate measurements of cell surface interactions.

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Functionalization of Atomic Force Microscope Cantilevers with Single-T Cells or Single-Particle for Immunological Single-Cell Force Spectroscopy
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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool for probing biological surfaces at the nanoscale.
  • Studying live microbial cells with AFM requires robust methods for probe preparation that maintain cell viability.
  • Previous methods often rely on fixation, which can alter the native surface properties of cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel method for preparing live single-cell probes for AFM using a bioinspired adhesive.
  • To compare the interaction forces measured with live cell probes versus fixed cell probes.
  • To elucidate the nature of interaction forces between live microbial cells and quartz surfaces.

Main Methods:

  • A bioinspired polydopamine wet adhesive was used to immobilize live bacterial and yeast cells onto AFM cantilevers.
  • Microscopic examination confirmed successful cell attachment and viability.
  • AFM force spectroscopy was employed to measure interaction forces between live and fixed single-cell probes and quartz surfaces.

Main Results:

  • Live bacterial and yeast cells were successfully attached to AFM cantilevers and remained viable during force measurements.
  • Interaction forces measured with live cell probes were significantly different from those obtained with glutaraldehyde-fixed probes.
  • Adhesion to quartz surfaces involved repulsive steric and weak multimodal adhesion forces, attributed to exocellular layers and cell membrane heterogeneity.

Conclusions:

  • The polydopamine-based method provides a viable approach for preparing live single-cell AFM probes.
  • Live cell probes offer distinct insights into cell-surface interactions compared to fixed probes.
  • Understanding these forces is crucial for fields ranging from microbiology to biomaterials engineering.