Development of microfluidic chip for entrapping tobacco BY-2 cells

PLoS One. 2022 Apr 14;17(4):e0266982. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266982. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

The tobacco BY-2 cell line has been used widely as a model system in plant cell biology. BY-2 cells are nearly transparent, which facilitates cell imaging using fluorescent markers. As cultured cells are drifted in the medium, therefore, it was difficult to observe them for a long period. Hence, we developed a microfluidic device that traps BY-2 cells and fixes their positions to allow monitoring the physiological activity of cells. The device contains 112 trap zones, with parallel slots connected in series at three levels in the flow channel. BY-2 cells were cultured for 7 days and filtered using a sieve and a cell strainer before use to isolate short cell filaments consisting of only a few cells. The isolated cells were introduced into the flow channel, resulting in entrapment of cell filaments at 25 out of 112 trap zones (22.3%). The cell numbers increased through cell division from 1 to 4 days after trapping with a peak of mitotic index on day 2. Recovery experiments of fluorescent proteins after photobleaching confirmed cell survival and permeability of plasmodesmata. Thus, this microfluidic device and one-dimensional plant cell samples allowed us to observe cell activity in real time under controllable conditions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques*
  • Microfluidics*
  • Nicotiana
  • Plant Cells
  • Plasmodesmata

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (18K05373 and 20H05501 to RT, 18KT0040, 18H03950, 21H00368, and 21H05657 to MN and 20H03273 to KK and MN), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (20H05358 to DK), the Japan Science and Technology Agency PRESTO program (JPMJPR18K4 to DK), and the Canon Foundation (R17-0070 to MN). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.