Interfacing living yeast cells with graphene oxide nanosheaths

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets offer unique properties for material science.
• Interfacing nanomaterials with living cells presents challenges in maintaining cell viability.
• Layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly is a versatile technique for creating multilayered structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the first successful encapsulation of living yeast cells with GO nanosheets.
• To demonstrate the preservation of yeast cell viability during the encapsulation process.
• To explore the integration of additional functionalities into yeast cells using this hybrid approach.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing LbL self-assembly to alternately coat yeast cells with oppositely charged GO nanosheets.
• Expanding the LbL approach to hybridize GO nanosheets with other materials, such as iron oxide nanoparticles.
• Characterizing the resulting hybrid structures and assessing yeast cell viability.

Main Results:

• Successful encapsulation of living yeast cells with multilayered GO nanosheets was achieved.
• The LbL self-assembly process preserved the viability of the yeast cells.
• Hybridization with iron oxide nanoparticles imparted magnetic properties to the yeast cells.

Conclusions:

• LbL self-assembly provides an effective method for interfacing graphene oxide with living yeast cells.
• This technique allows for the integration of new physical and chemical functionalities into biological systems.
• The developed hybrid yeast cells hold potential for various biotechnological applications.