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Here, a protocol is presented for optically extracting and cataloging innate cellular fluorescence signatures (i.e., cellular autofluorescence) from every individual live cell distributed in a three-dimensional space. This method is suitable for studying the innate fluorescence signature of diverse biological systems at a single-cell resolution, including cells from bacteria, fungi, yeasts, plants, and animals.
Described here is confocal reflection microscopy-assisted single-cell innate fluorescence analysis (CRIF), a minimally invasive method for reconstructing the innate cellular fluorescence signature from each individual live cell in a population distributed in a three-dimensional (3D) space. The innate fluorescence signature of a cell is a collection of fluorescence signals emitted by various biomolecules within the cell. Previous studies established that innate fluorescence signatures reflect various cellular properties and differences in physiological status and are a rich source of information for cell characterization and identification. Innate fluorescence signatures have been traditionally analyzed at the population level, necessitating a clonal culture, but not at the single-cell level. CRIF is particularly suitable for studies that require 3D resolution and/or selective extraction of fluorescence signals from individual cells. Because the fluorescence signature is an innate property of a cell, CRIF is also suitable for tag-free prediction of the type and/or physiological status of intact and single cells. This method may be a powerful tool for streamlined cell analysis, where the phenotype of each single cell in a heterogenous population can be directly assessed by its autofluorescence signature under a microscope without cell tagging.
Diverse biomolecules within a cell1 emit autofluorescence signals, and the innate fluorescence signature of a cell consists of the assembly of these signals. This signature fluorescence reflects various cellular properties and also differences in physiological status. Analysis of innate fluorescence is minimally invasive and can complement traditional, more invasive microbiological probes that leave a range of traces from mild metabolic modification to complete cell destruction. While traditional techniques such as DNA or cell content extraction2,3, fluorescent in situ hybridization
1. Preparation of the sample
2. Setup of a microscope
Figure 1A shows the typical single-cell fluorescence signature of a bacterial cell presented as a traditional spectrum plot (top) and as a heatmap (middle). Figure 1B shows the result of an accurate 2D cell segmentation superimposed over the original CRM image of a population of soil bacteria (Pseudomonas putida KT2440)12. The resulting innate fluorescence signatures for the population are presented as a heatmap in
There are two critical points in this method that need to be closely followed to obtain reproducible results: 1) keep the laser power output under the microscope objective consistent through excitation wavelengths and experiments, and 2) perform accurate cell segmentation.
The first point is particularly important when comparing the innate fluorescence signature among different experiments. Avoid simply applying the same “percent output” settings to the excitation wavelengths (i.e........
This study was supported in part by a grant-in-aid for scientific research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology of Japan (18K04843) to Y. Yawata, the JST ERATO (JPMJER1502) to N. Nomura.
....Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
Agarose | Wako Chemicals | 312-01193 | |
Beam splitters | Carl Zeiss, Nikon | MBSInVis405, MBS458, MBS488, MBS458/514, MBS488/543, or MBS 488/543/633 beam splitters (Carl Zeiss) | |
Confocal microscope | Carl Zeiss, Nikon | Model LSM 880 (Carl Zeiss), Model A1R (Nikon) | |
Cover slips | Matsunami Glass | C024601 | |
Glass slides | Matsunami Glass | S011120 | |
Half-reflection mirror | Carl Zeiss, Nikon | NT80/20 | |
Laser power meter | Thorlabs | PM400 (power meter console) and S175C (sensor) | |
LB Broth | Nacalai tesque | 20066-95 | For bacteria culture |
Image analysis software | The MathWorks | MATLAB version 2019a or later, Image Processing Toolbox is needed | |
Microscope objective | Carl Zeiss, Nikon | 440762-9904 | e.g. 63x plan Apochomat NA = 1.4 (Carl Zeiss) |
Microscope software | Carl Zeiss, Nikon | ZEN (Carl Zeiss),NIS-elements (Nikon) | |
PBS(-) | Wako Chemicals | 166-23555 | |
Programming language | Python and libraries, modules (numpy, scikit-learn, scikit-image, os, glob, matplotlib, tkinter) are rquired to run the supplied PCA script. | ||
Silicone gasket | ThermoFisher Scientific | P24744 | |
Workstation | A high-performance workstation with discrete GPUs is recommended. | ||
Yeast extract-peptone-dextrose (YPD) agar medium | Sigma-Aldrich | Y1500-250G | For yeast culture |
YPD medium | Sigma-Aldrich | Y1375-250G |
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