The Design of Simple Bacterial Microarrays: Development towards Immobilizing Single Living Bacteria on Predefined Micro-Sized Spots on Patterned Surfaces

PLoS One. 2015 Jun 3;10(6):e0128162. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128162. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

In this paper we demonstrate a procedure for preparing bacterial arrays that is fast, easy, and applicable in a standard molecular biology laboratory. Microcontact printing is used to deposit chemicals promoting bacterial adherence in predefined positions on glass surfaces coated with polymers known for their resistance to bacterial adhesion. Highly ordered arrays of immobilized bacteria were obtained using microcontact printed islands of polydopamine (PD) on glass surfaces coated with the antiadhesive polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG). On such PEG-coated glass surfaces, bacteria were attached to 97 to 100% of the PD islands, 21 to 62% of which were occupied by a single bacterium. A viability test revealed that 99% of the bacteria were alive following immobilization onto patterned surfaces. Time series imaging of bacteria on such arrays revealed that the attached bacteria both divided and expressed green fluorescent protein, both of which indicates that this method of patterning of bacteria is a suitable method for single-cell analysis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Adhesion
  • Cell Count
  • Cells, Immobilized / cytology
  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes / chemistry
  • Equipment Design
  • Glass / chemistry
  • Microarray Analysis / instrumentation*
  • Microbial Viability
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry
  • Pseudomonas putida / cytology*
  • Quantum Dots / chemistry
  • Single-Cell Analysis / methods*
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes
  • Polyethylene Glycols

Grants and funding

The Research Council of Norway is acknowledged for the support to the Norwegian Micro- and Nano-Fabrication Facility, NorFab (197411/V30).