A single cell culture system using lectin-conjugated magnetite nanoparticles and magnetic force to screen mutant cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria can be utilized as a potential biocatalyst for the production of biofuels and biochemicals directly from CO2. Useful mutants of cyanobacteria, which can grow rapidly or are resistant to specific metabolic products, are essential to improve the productivity of biofuels. In this study, we developed a single cell culture system to effectively screen mutant cyanobacteria using magnetite nanoparticles and magnetic force. Lens culinaris Agglutinin (LCA) was selected as a lectin, which binds to the surface of Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 cells and the LCA-conjugated magnetite cationic liposomes (MCLs) were developed for magnetic labeling of PCC7942 cells. The MCL-labeled PCC7942 cells were magnetically patterned at a single cell level by using 6,400 iron pillars of the pin-holder device. The device enabled 1,600 single cells to be arrayed in one square centimeter. We cultured the patterned cells in liquid medium and achieved higher colony-forming ratio (78.4%) than that obtained using conventional solid culture method (4.8%). Single cells with different properties could be distinguished in the single cell culture system depending on their growth. Furthermore, we could selectively pick up the target cells and subsequently perform efficient isolation culture. The ratio of successful isolation culture using the developed method was 13 times higher than that of the conventional methods. Thus, the developed system would serve as a powerful tool for screening mutant cyanobacteria.

An agar gel membrane-PDMS hybrid microfluidic device for long term single cell dynamic study.

Significance of single cell measurements stems from the substantial temporal fluctuations and cell-cell variability possessed by individual cells. A major difficulty in monitoring surface non-adherent cells such as bacteria and yeast is that these cells tend to aggregate into clumps during growth, obstructing the tracking or identification of single-cells over long time periods. Here, we developed a microfluidic platform for long term single-cell tracking and cultivation with continuous media refreshing and dynamic chemical perturbation capability. The design highlights a simple device-assembly process between PDMS microchannel and agar membrane through conformal contact, and can be easily adapted by microbiologists for their routine laboratory use. The device confines cell growth in monolayer between an agar membrane and a glass surface. Efficient nutrient diffusion through the membrane and reliable temperature maintenance provide optimal growth condition for the cells, which exhibited fast exponential growth and constant distribution of cell sizes. More than 24 h of single-cell tracking was demonstrated on a transcription-metabolism integrated synthetic biological model, the gene-metabolic oscillator. Single cell morphology study under alcohol toxicity allowed us to discover and characterize cell filamentation exhibited by different E. coli isobutanol tolerant strains. We believe this novel device will bring new capabilities to quantitative microbiology, providing a versatile platform for single cell dynamic studies.