Monitoring Extracellular pH in Cross-Kingdom Biofilms using Confocal Microscopy

J Vis Exp. 2020 Jan 30:(155). doi: 10.3791/60270.

Abstract

Cross-kingdom biofilms consisting of both fungal and bacterial cells are involved in a variety of oral diseases, such as endodontic infections, periodontitis, mucosal infections and, most notably, early childhood caries. In all of these conditions, the pH in the biofilm matrix impacts microbe-host interactions and thus the disease progression. The present protocol describes a confocal microscopy-based method to monitor pH dynamics inside cross-kingdom biofilms comprising Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans. The pH-dependent dual-emission spectrum and the staining properties of the ratiometric probe C-SNARF-4 are exploited to determine drops in pH in extracellular areas of the biofilms. Use of pH ratiometry with the probe requires a meticulous choice of imaging parameters, a thorough calibration of the dye, and careful, threshold-based post-processing of the image data. When used correctly, the technique allows for the rapid assessment of extracellular pH in different areas of a biofilm and thus the monitoring of both horizontal and vertical pH gradients over time. While the use of confocal microscopy limits Z-profiling to thin biofilms of 75 µm or less, the use of pH ratiometry is ideally suited for the noninvasive study of an important virulence factor in cross-kingdom biofilms.

Publication types

  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Biofilms* / drug effects
  • Calibration
  • Candida albicans / drug effects
  • Candida albicans / physiology*
  • Extracellular Space / chemistry*
  • Glucose / pharmacology
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Microscopy, Confocal / methods*
  • Streptococcus mutans / drug effects
  • Streptococcus mutans / physiology*

Substances

  • Glucose