μREACT: A microfluidic system for rapid evaluation of trans-kingdom interactions.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Systems Biology
• Bioengineering

Background:

• Trans-kingdom interactions between microorganisms and host cells are crucial for ecological and biological systems.
• Understanding the full spectrum of microbial interactions with host cells is limited by current technological constraints.
• High-throughput, single-cell resolution systems are needed to decipher these complex interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel microfluidic system, μREACT, for analyzing interkingdom interactions.
• To enable high-throughput, single-cell resolution characterization of microbial adherence and communication with host cells.
• To uncover previously unknown microbial interactions and their characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Development of μREACT, a microfluidic system utilizing dielectrophoretic separation.
• Single-cell resolution analysis of bacterial adherence to host cells.
• High-throughput sorting of adherent microorganisms (10^7 per hour) without labeling, comparable to flow cytometry.

Main Results:

• μREACT successfully identified both known and novel trans-kingdom interactions.
• Detailed characterization of these interactions was achieved at single-cell resolution.
• Analysis of soil microbial samples revealed known high-adherence bacteria and new interactions suggesting emerging endosymbiosis.

Conclusions:

• μREACT is a powerful tool for discovering and characterizing interkingdom interactions.
• The system offers high throughput and single-cell resolution without the need for labeling.
• This technology has the potential to advance our understanding of ecosystem dynamics and fundamental biological processes.