Quantification of Motility in Bacillus subtilis at Temperatures Up to 84°C Using a Submersible Volumetric Microscope and Automated Tracking.

ABSTRACT: We describe a system for high-temperature investigations of bacterial motility using a digital holographic microscope completely submerged in heated water. Temperatures above 90°C could be achieved, with a constant 5°C offset between the sample temperature and the surrounding water bath. Using this system, we observed active motility in Bacillus subtilis up to 66°C. As temperatures rose, most cells became immobilized on the surface, but a fraction of cells remained highly motile at distances of >100 μm above the surface. Suspended non-motile cells showed Brownian motion that scaled consistently with temperature and viscosity. A novel open-source automated tracking package was used to obtain 2D tracks of motile cells and quantify motility parameters, showing that swimming speed incre

SUBMITTER: Dubay MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9069135 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature