Bacterial Cell Culture at the Single-cell Level Inside Giant Vesicles

Summary

We demonstrate single-cell culture of bacteria inside giant vesicles (GVs). GVs containing bacterial cells were prepared by the droplet transfer method and were immobilized on a supported membrane on a glass substrate for direct observation of bacterial growth. This approach may also be adaptable to other cells.

Abstract

We developed a method for culturing bacterial cells at the single-cell level inside giant vesicles (GVs). Bacterial cell culture is important for understanding the function of bacterial cells in the natural environment. Because of technological advances, various bacterial cell functions can be revealed at the single-cell level inside a confined space. GVs are spherical micro-sized compartments composed of amphiphilic lipid molecules and can hold various materials, including cells. In this study, a single bacterial cell was encapsulated into 10–30 μm GVs by the droplet transfer method and the GVs containing bacterial cells were immobilized on a supported membrane on a glass substrate. Our method is useful for observing the real-time growth of single bacteria inside GVs. We cultured Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells as a model inside GVs, but this method can be adapted to other cell types. Our method can be used in the science and industrial fields of microbiology, biology, biotechnology, and synthetic biology.

Introduction

The culture of bacterial cells at the single-cell level has received increasing attention. Culturing bacterial cells at the single-cell level inside a confined space can elucidate bacterial functions such as phenotypic variability^1,2,3,4, cell behavior^5,6,7,8,9, and antibiotic resistance^10,11. Because of recent advances in....

Protocol

1. Preparation of GVs Containing Bacterial Cells by the Droplet Transfer Method

1. Prepare lipid stock solutions of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC, 10 mM, 1 mL) and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[biotinyl(polyethyleneglycol)-2000] (biotin-PEG-DSPE, 0.1 mM, 1 mL) in chloroform/methanol solution (2/1, v/v) and store the stock at -20 °C.
2. Preparation of a lipid-containing oil solution
   1. Pour 20 μL of the POPC solution and 4 &#.......

Discussion

Here, we describe a method for culturing bacterial cells at the single-cell level inside GVs. This simple method involves forming GVs containing bacterial cells at the single-cell level by using the droplet transfer method. Compared with other approaches for obtaining GVs containing bacterial cells, this method has two advantages: (i) it is easy to develop, and (ii) a small volume (2 μL) of the sample solution is required to prepare the GVs. The droplet transfer method²⁰ for preparing GVs con.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Bactotryptone	BD Biosciences	211705
Chloroform	Wako Pure Chemicals	032-21921
Cover glass (18 × 18 mm)	Matsunami Glass Ind.	C018181	thickness 0.13–0.17 mm
Cover glass (30 × 40 mm)	Matsunami Glass Ind.	custom-order	thickness 0.25–0.35 mm
Desktop centrifuge	Hi-Tech Co.	ATT101	swing rotor type
Double-faced seal (10 × 10 × 1 mm)	Nitoms	T4613
Glass vial	AS ONE	6-306-01	Durham fermentation tube
Glucose	Wako Pure Chemicals	049-31165
Inverted microscope	Olympus	IX-73
Methanol	Wako Pure Chemicals	133-16771
Microscopic heating stage system	TOKAI HIT	TP-110R-100
Mineral oil	Nacalai Tesque	23334-85
Mini-extruder	Avanti Polar Lipids	610000
Neutravidin	Thermo Fisher Scientific	31000
Objective lens	Olympus	LUCPLFLN 40×/0.6 NA
Polycarbonate membranes	Avanti Polar Lipids	610005	pore size 100 nm
sCMOS camera	Andor	Zyla 4.2 plus
Sodium chloride	Wako Pure Chemicals	191-01665
Sucrose	Wako Pure Chemicals	196-00015
Ultrasonic bath	AS ONE	ASU-3D
Yeast extract	BD Biosciences	212750
0.6 mL lidded plastic tube	Watson	130-806C
1.5 mL lidded plastic tube	Sumitomo Bakelite Co.	MS4265-M
1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocoline	Avanti Polar Lipids	850457P	POPC
1,2-distearoyl-snglycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[biotinyl(polyethyleneglycol)-2000]	Avanti Polar Lipids	880129P	Biotin-PEG-DSPE