High-throughput determination of dry mass of single bacterial cells by ultrathin membrane resonators.

ABSTRACT: How bacteria are able to maintain their size remains an open question. Techniques that can measure the biomass (dry mass) of single cells with high precision and high-throughput are demanded to elucidate this question. Here, we present a technological approach that combines the transport, guiding and focusing of individual bacteria from solution to the surface of an ultrathin silicon nitride membrane resonator in vacuum. The resonance frequencies of the membrane undergo abrupt variations at the instants where single cells land on the membrane surface. The resonator design displays a quasi-symmetric rectangular shape with an extraordinary capture area of 0.14 mm², while maintaining a high mass resolution of 0.7 fg (1 fg = 10^-15g) to precisely resolve the dry mass of s

SUBMITTER: Sanz-Jimenez A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9651879 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature