Automated Chemotactic Sorting and Single-cell Cultivation of Microbes using Droplet Microfluidics.

ABSTRACT: We report a microfluidic device for automated sorting and cultivation of chemotactic microbes from pure cultures or mixtures. The device consists of two parts: in the first part, a concentration gradient of the chemoeffector was built across the channel for inducing chemotaxis of motile cells; in the second part, chemotactic cells from the sample were separated, and mixed with culture media to form nanoliter droplets for encapsulation, cultivation, enumeration, and recovery of single cells. Chemotactic responses were assessed by imaging and statistical analysis of droplets based on Poisson distribution. An automated procedure was developed for rapid enumeration of droplets with cell growth, following with scale-up cultivation on agar plates. The performance of the device was evaluated by t

SUBMITTER: Dong L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4831006 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature