Name: a small volume bioassay to assess bacterial/phytoplankton co-culture using water-pulse-amplitude-modulated (water-pam) fluorometry
Uploaded: 2015-03-11T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Small Volume Bioassay to Assess Bacterial/Phytoplankton Co-culture Using WATER-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated WATER-PAM Fluorometry at JoVE.com

This work was supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (grant 402105), Canadian Foundation for Innovation (grant 129087) and Alberta Education and Training (grant AAETRCP-12-026-SEG) to RJC.

1. Calculations for Experimental Setup
<ol>
	<li>Calculate the volume of algal and/or bacterial cultures needed for controls that will be required for the entire experiment by using Equation 1: 
	<img alt="Equation 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/52455/52455equation1.1.jpg" /> 
	Where y equals the number of controls needed per day and z equals the number of days.</li>
	<li>Calculate the volume of algal and/or bacterial cultures that are needed for co-cultures for the experiment by using Equation 2: 
	<img alt=...

<ol>
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Chem. 3 (4), 331-335 (2011).</li><li>Schreiber, U., Schliwa, U., Bilger, W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Continuous+recording+of+photochemical+and+non-photochemical+chlorophyll+fluorescence+quenching+with+a+new+type+of+modulation+fluorometer.">Continuous recording of photochemical and non-photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching with a new type of modulation fluorometer.</a> Photosynth. Res. 10 (1-2), 51-62 (1986).</li><li>Jones, R. J., Ward, S., Amri, A. 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Methods. 44 (2), 121-129 (2001).</li><li>Kooten, O., Snel, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+use+of+chlorophyll+fluorescence+nomenclature+in+plant+stress+physiology.">The use of chlorophyll fluorescence nomenclature in plant stress physiology.</a> Photosynth. Res. 25 (3), 147-150 (1990).</li><li>Maxwell, K., Johnson, G. N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chlorophyll+fluorescence--a+practical+guide.">Chlorophyll fluorescence--a practical guide.</a> J. Exp. 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Algal growth in a miniaturized format.
The miniaturization of algal cultures to a 1 ml culture volume in a microtiter plate allows for the replication within an experiment to be increased. It is important to ensure the alga is healthy throughout an experiment; perform a growth curve (Figure 2), using the microtiter plate format to assess various algal media, to ensure the nutritional requirements of the alga are met. Additionally, it may be important to optimize the diurnal cycle...

Phytoplankton physiology has traditionally been studied in meso-scale experiments ranging from 20 ml in conical flasks to 5 L in carboys1&#8211;7. This experimental scale requires subsampling for experimental monitoring, as sacrificing replicate samples for each time point creates an unmanageable experimental setup.
The ability to increase the number of independent experiments while using the same diurnal incubator space by miniaturizing the experimental volume for algal physiology experiments will reduce or eliminate the limitations of subsampling and pseudo-replication from large volumes. A microtiter plate format has been developed for algal bioassays using a 1 ml culture volume for experimentally manipulating algae in variable conditions. This small experimental volume allows for the number of replicates to be increased, increases experimental reproducibility due to a decreased variability between replicate samples and experiments, and allows true replication while maintaining experimental controls (i.e., axenic algal cultures) for 140 days (Figure 2)12.
This microtiter plate format is easily adapted for a variety of experimental questions, such as: does a bacterium have a symbiotic, neutral or pathogenic interaction with its algal host? Is the addition of a compound stimulating or toxic to an alga? These and other questions can be addressed in a rapid high-throughput manner using this new format9&#8211;11.
A 48-well microtiter culture plate allows each 1 ml well to be an independent experimental setup that is sampled at a single time-point. Various parameters can be sampled from this 1 ml volume including, but not limited to: chlorophyll fluorescence and photochemical parameters using WATER-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (WATER-PAM) fluorometry (see Materials and Equipment table)13. WATER-PAM fluorometry is a rapid and non-invasive technique that can be used to monitor experiments performed with algae13. It allows measurement of photosynthetic efficiency and PSII health from a small culture volume (150 - 300 &#956;l of culture diluted in medium to a 2 - 4 ml volume for WATER-PAM)14,15. In addition to WATER-PAM fluorometry, this setup can be used to measure a variety of other parameters including, but not limited to: microscopy to visualize the bacteria attached to algal cells and changes in the algal cell morphology; bacterial colony forming unit (cfu) counts; and flow cytometry for algal cell counts and identifying subpopulations.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1233">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:413px;">Name of Material/ Equipment</td>
			<td style="width:328px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:331px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:163px;">Comments/Description</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">10 cu. ft. Diurnal Incubator (6012-1)</td>
			<td>Caron Corporate</td>
			<td>112310-6012-1-11</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.caronproducts.com">www.caronproducts.com</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="23">
			<td height="23" style="height:23px;">Nunc EasYFlask 25cm2, Vent/Close Cap, 7mL working volume, 200/Cs&#160;</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>N156340</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.fishersci.ca">www.fishersci.ca</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Multiwell TC Plates &#8211; 48 Well</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences Discovery Labware</td>
			<td>353078</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.bdbiosciences.com/">www.bdbiosciences.com</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">P1000 Gilson The Pipetting Standard&#8212;Gilson&#39;s Pipetman</td>
			<td>Mandel Scientific Company Inc.</td>
			<td>GF-F123602</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.mandel.ca">www.mandel.ca</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">P10mL Gilson The Pipetting Standard&#8212;Gilson&#39;s Pipetman</td>
			<td>Mandel Scientific Company Inc.</td>
			<td>GF-F161201</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.mandel.ca">www.mandel.ca</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Wide Orifice Tips nonsterile [100&#8211;1250 &#181;L]</td>
			<td>VWR International</td>
			<td>89079-468</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.ca.vwr.com">www.ca.vwr.com</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Ultrafine Tips nonsterile [100&#8211;1250 &#181;L]</td>
			<td>VWR International</td>
			<td>89079-470</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.ca.vwr.com">www.ca.vwr.com</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Finntip 10mL [Vol: 1-10mL]</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>9402151</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.fishersci.ca">www.fishersci.ca</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">WATER-Pulse Amplitude Modulation (Water-ED)</td>
			<td>Heinz Walz GmbH, Effeltrich, Germany</td>
			<td>EDEE0232</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.walz.com">www.walz.com</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">15 mm diameter quartz glass cuvette (WATER-K)</td>
			<td>Caron Corporate</td>
			<td></td>
			<td><a href="http://www.caronproducts.com">www.caronproducts.com</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Sodium&#160;Chloride&#160;(Crystalline/Certified ACS), Fisher Chemical</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.fishersci.ca">www.fishersci.ca</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">BD Difco Marine Broth 2216</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences Discovery Labware</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences Discovery Labware</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.bdbiosciences.com">www.bdbiosciences.com</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">BD Bacto Agar</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences Discovery Labware</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences Discovery Labware</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.bdbiosciences.com">www.bdbiosciences.com</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">L1 Medium Kit, 50L</td>
			<td>NCMA [National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota</td>
			<td>NCMA [National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.ncma.bigelow.org">www.ncma.bigelow.org</a></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a small volume bioassay to assess bacterial/phytoplankton co-culture using water-pulse-amplitude-modulated (water-pam) fluorometry

Conventional methods for experimental manipulation of microalgae have employed large volumes of culture (20 ml to 5 L), so that the culture can be subsampled throughout the experiment1&#8211;7. Subsampling of large volumes can be problematic for several reasons: 1) it causes variation in the total volume and the surface area:volume ratio of the culture during the experiment; 2) pseudo-replication (i.e., replicate samples from the same treatment flask8) is often employed rather than true replicates (i.e., sampling from replicate treatments); 3) the duration of the experiment is limited by the total volume; and 4) axenic cultures or the usual bacterial microbiota are difficult to maintain during long-term experiments as contamination commonly occurs during subsampling.
The use of microtiter plates enables 1 ml culture volumes to be used for each replicate, with up to 48 separate treatments within a 12.65 x 8.5 x 2.2 cm plate, thereby decreasing the experimental volume and allowing for extensive replication without subsampling any treatment. Additionally, this technique can be modified to fit a variety of experimental formats including: bacterial-algal co-cultures, algal physiology tests, and toxin screening9&#8211;11. Individual wells with an alga, bacterium and/or co-cultures can be sampled for numerous laboratory procedures including, but not limited to: WATER-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (WATER-PAM) fluorometry, microscopy, bacterial colony forming unit (cfu) counts and flow cytometry. The combination of the microtiter plate format and WATER-PAM fluorometry allows for multiple rapid measurements of photochemical yield and other photochemical parameters with low variability between samples, high reproducibility and avoids the many pitfalls of subsampling a carboy or conical flask over the course of an experiment.

WATER-PAM fluorometry readings.
WATER-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (PAM) fluorometry is a quick and efficient method to determine the fluorescence (a proxy for chlorophyll content) and photosynthetic yield (PSII health) of algal cultures. The PAM WinControl software generates a spreadsheet of raw data values for (the following are the basic parameters for dark adapted algal samples):
&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;F0 = fluorescence of dark-adapted cells
<p class="...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Small Volume Bioassay to Assess Bacterial/Phytoplankton Co-culture Using WATER-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated WATER-PAM Fluorometry at JoVE.com

A Small Volume Bioassay to Assess Bacterial/Phytoplankton Co-culture Using WATER-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated WATER-PAM Fluorometry

The goal of this procedure is to demonstrate the reproducibility and adaptability of using a microtiter plate format for microalgal screening. This rapid screen combines WATER-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (WATER-PAM) fluorometry to measure photosynthetic yield as an indicator of Photosystem II (PSII) health with small volume bacterial-algal co-cultures.

A Small Volume Bioassay to Assess Bacterial/Phytoplankton Co-culture Using WATER-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (WATER-PAM) Fluorometry

Conventional methods for experimental manipulation of microalgae have employed large volumes of culture (20 ml to 5 L), so that the culture can be ...

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