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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Single-cell Analysis of Bacillus subtilis Biofilms Using Fluorescence Microscopy and Flow Cytometry
Published on: February 15, 2012
Flow Cytometry and Fluorescence Microscopy as Tools for Structural and Functional Analysis of Vacuoles Isolated from
Jorge M P Rodrigues1, Cátia S Pereira1,2, Natacha Fontes3
1Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, CBMA, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
Abstract:
A series of optimized protocols to isolate vacuoles from both yeast and plant cells, and to characterize the purified organelles at a functional and structural level, are described. For this purpose, we took advantage of the combined use of cell fractionation techniques with different fluorescence-based approaches namely flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and spectrofluorimetry. These protocols altogether constitute valuable tools for the study of vacuole structure and function, as well as for the high-throughput screening of drug libraries to identify new molecules that target the vacuole.
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