A microfluidic device for temporally controlled gene expression and long-term fluorescent imaging in unperturbed dividing yeast cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Imaging single cells with fluorescent markers over multiple cell cycles is a powerful tool for unraveling the mechanism and dynamics of the cell cycle. Over the past ten years, microfluidic techniques in cell biology have emerged that allow for good control of growth environment. Yet the control and quantification of transient gene expression in unperturbed dividing cells has received less attention.

Methodology/principal findings

Here, we describe a microfluidic flow cell to grow Saccharomyces Cerevisiae for more than 8 generations (approximately 12 hrs) starting with single cells, with controlled flow of the growth medium. This setup provides two important features: first, cells are tightly confined and grow in a remarkably planar array. The pedigree can thus be

SUBMITTER: Charvin G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2194624 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature