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Liu S, Liu B, Zhu Y, Qiu Y, Li B. The Spatial-Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1154. [PMID: 37508250 PMCID: PMC10376823 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12071154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Biofilm is considered as the hotspot of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination. Bacterial growth substrates are important factors for biofilm formation, but its spatial-temporal effects on ARG spread in biofilm is still unclear. In this study, microfluidics combined with microscopic observation were used to reveal spatial-temporal effects of bacterial growth substrates on ARG transfer at real time. The initial horizontal gene transfer events were found to be independent of substrate levels. However, subsequent transfer processes varied greatly depending on the availability of growth substrates. The proportion of transconjugants was much higher (~12%) when observed in substrate-rich regions (under the channel) at 24 h, followed by an exponential decline, with the distance far from the channel. Furthermore, three-dimensional observation revealed that vertical gene transfer influenced by the concentrations of bacterial growth substrates was important for ARG spread in biofilm. The transfer frequency was 8.2 times higher in the high substrate concentration (50×) compared to low concentration (0.5×) in simulated sewage, underscoring the substantial impact of bacterial growth substrate variability on ARG dissemination. This study is helpful for in-depth understanding of ARG dissemination through biofilms and indicates that reducing pollutant emission is important for ARG control in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuzhen Liu
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Bingwen Liu
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yin Zhu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yong Qiu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Bing Li
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
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2
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Li Y, Fan H, Ding J, Xu J, Liu C, Wang H. Microfluidic devices: The application in TME modeling and the potential in immunotherapy optimization. Front Genet 2022; 13:969723. [PMID: 36159996 PMCID: PMC9493116 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.969723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With continued advances in cancer research, the crucial role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in regulating tumor progression and influencing immunotherapy outcomes has been realized over the years. A series of studies devoted to enhancing the response to immunotherapies through exploring efficient predictive biomarkers and new combination approaches. The microfluidic technology not only promoted the development of multi-omics analyses but also enabled the recapitulation of TME in vitro microfluidic system, which made these devices attractive across studies for optimization of immunotherapy. Here, we reviewed the application of microfluidic systems in modeling TME and the potential of these devices in predicting and monitoring immunotherapy effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Huiyu Wang
- *Correspondence: Chaoying Liu, ; Huiyu Wang,
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3
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Hu P, Ly KL, Pham LPH, Pottash AE, Sheridan K, Wu HC, Tsao CY, Quan D, Bentley WE, Rubloff GW, Sintim HO, Luo X. Bacterial chemotaxis in static gradients quantified in a biopolymer membrane-integrated microfluidic platform. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:3203-3216. [PMID: 35856590 PMCID: PMC9756273 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00481j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Chemotaxis is a fundamental bacterial response mechanism to changes in chemical gradients of specific molecules known as chemoattractant or chemorepellent. The advancement of biological platforms for bacterial chemotaxis research is of significant interest for a wide range of biological and environmental studies. Many microfluidic devices have been developed for its study, but challenges still remain that can obscure analysis. For example, cell migration can be compromised by flow-induced shear stress, and bacterial motility can be impaired by nonspecific cell adhesion to microchannels. Also, devices can be complicated, expensive, and hard to assemble. We address these issues with a three-channel microfluidic platform integrated with natural biopolymer membranes that are assembled in situ. This provides several unique attributes. First, a static, steady and robust chemoattractant gradient was generated and maintained. Second, because the assembly incorporates assembly pillars, the assembled membrane arrays connecting nearby pillars can be created longer than the viewing window, enabling a wide 2D area for study. Third, the in situ assembled biopolymer membranes minimize pressure and/or chemiosmotic gradients that could induce flow and obscure chemotaxis study. Finally, nonspecific cell adhesion is avoided by priming the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel surfaces with Pluronic F-127. We demonstrated chemotactic migration of Escherichia coli as well as Pseudomonas aeruginosa under well-controlled easy-to-assemble glucose gradients. We characterized motility using the chemotaxis partition coefficient (CPC) and chemotaxis migration coefficient (CMC) and found our results consistent with other reports. Further, random walk trajectories of individual cells in simple bright field images were conveniently tracked and presented in rose plots. Velocities were calculated, again in agreement with previous literature. We believe the biopolymer membrane-integrated platform represents a facile and convenient system for robust quantitative assessment of cellular motility in response to various chemical cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piao Hu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia 20064, USA.
| | - Khanh L Ly
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia 20064, USA
| | - Le P H Pham
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia 20064, USA.
| | - Alex E Pottash
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Kathleen Sheridan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia 20064, USA
| | - Hsuan-Chen Wu
- Institute for Bioscience & Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Chen-Yu Tsao
- Institute for Bioscience & Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - David Quan
- Institute for Bioscience & Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - William E Bentley
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Institute for Bioscience & Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Gary W Rubloff
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Herman O Sintim
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Xiaolong Luo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia 20064, USA.
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4
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Pérez‐Rodríguez S, García‐Aznar JM, Gonzalo‐Asensio J. Microfluidic devices for studying bacterial taxis, drug testing and biofilm formation. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:395-414. [PMID: 33645897 PMCID: PMC8867988 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Some bacteria have coevolved to establish symbiotic or pathogenic relationships with plants, animals or humans. With human association, the bacteria can cause a variety of diseases. Thus, understanding bacterial phenotypes at the single-cell level is essential to develop beneficial applications. Traditional microbiological techniques have provided great knowledge about these organisms; however, they have also shown limitations, such as difficulties in culturing some bacteria, the heterogeneity of bacterial populations or difficulties in recreating some physical or biological conditions. Microfluidics is an emerging technique that complements current biological assays. Since microfluidics works with micrometric volumes, it allows fine-tuning control of the test conditions. Moreover, it allows the recruitment of three-dimensional (3D) conditions, in which several processes can be integrated and gradients can be generated, thus imitating physiological 3D environments. Here, we review some key microfluidic-based studies describing the effects of different microenvironmental conditions on bacterial response, biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance. For this aim, we present different studies classified into six groups according to the design of the microfluidic device: (i) linear channels, (ii) mixing channels, (iii) multiple floors, (iv) porous devices, (v) topographic devices and (vi) droplet microfluidics. Hence, we highlight the potential and possibilities of using microfluidic-based technology to study bacterial phenotypes in comparison with traditional methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Pérez‐Rodríguez
- Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A)Department of Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of ZaragozaZaragoza50018Spain
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE)IIS‐AragónZaragozaSpain
- Grupo de Genética de MicobacteriasDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of ZaragozaIIS AragónZaragoza50009Spain
| | - José Manuel García‐Aznar
- Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A)Department of Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of ZaragozaZaragoza50018Spain
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE)IIS‐AragónZaragozaSpain
| | - Jesús Gonzalo‐Asensio
- Grupo de Genética de MicobacteriasDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of ZaragozaIIS AragónZaragoza50009Spain
- CIBER Enfermedades RespiratoriasInstituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadrid28029Spain
- Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI)Zaragoza50018Spain
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5
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Dash SK, Sharma V, Verma RS, Das SK. Low intermittent flow promotes rat mesenchymal stem cell differentiation in logarithmic fluid shear device. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2020; 14:054107. [PMID: 33163135 PMCID: PMC7595746 DOI: 10.1063/5.0024437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are an ideal candidate for bone tissue engineering due to their osteogenic potential. Along with chemical, mechanical signals such as fluid shear stress have been found to influence their differentiation characteristics. But the range of fluid shear experienced in vivo is too wide and difficult to generate in a single device. We have designed a microfluidic device that could generate four orders of shear stresses on adherent cells. This was achieved using a unique hydraulic resistance combination and linear optimization to the lesser total length of the circuit, making the device compact and yet generating four logarithmically increasing shear stresses. Numerical simulation depicts that, at an inlet velocity of 160 μl/min, our device generated shear stresses from 1.03 Pa to 1.09 mPa. In this condition, we successfully cultured primary rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) in the device for a prolonged period of time in the incubator environment (four days). Higher cell proliferation rate was observed in the intermittent flow at 1.09 mPa. At 10 mPa, both upregulation of osteogenic genes and higher alkaline phosphatase activity were observed. These results suggest that the intermittent shear of the order of 10 mPa can competently enhance osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs compared to static culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanat Kumar Dash
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
| | - Vineeta Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
| | - Rama Shankar Verma
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
| | - Sarit K. Das
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036, India
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6
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Carter JW, Gonzalez MA, Brooks NJ, Seddon JM, Bresme F. Flip-flop asymmetry of cholesterol in model membranes induced by thermal gradients. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:5925-5932. [PMID: 32538402 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00546k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Lipid asymmetry is a crucial property of biological membranes and significantly influences their physical and mechanical properties. It is responsible for maintaining different chemical environments on the external and internal surfaces of cells and organelles and plays a vital role in many biological processes such as cell signalling and budding. In this work we show, using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations, that thermal fields can induce lipid asymmetry in biological membranes. We focus our investigation on cholesterol, an abundant lipid in the plasma membrane, with a rapid flip-flop rate, significantly influencing membrane properties. We demonstrate that thermal fields induce membrane asymmetry with cholesterol showing thermophobic behaviour and therefore accumulating on the cold side of the membrane. This work highlights a possible experimental route to preparing and controlling asymmetry in synthetic membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Carter
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, MSRH building, 80 Wood Lane, London, W12 0BZ, UK.
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7
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Gurung JP, Gel M, Baker MAB. Microfluidic techniques for separation of bacterial cells via taxis. MICROBIAL CELL (GRAZ, AUSTRIA) 2020; 7:66-79. [PMID: 32161767 PMCID: PMC7052948 DOI: 10.15698/mic2020.03.710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The microbial environment is typically within a fluid and the key processes happen at the microscopic scale where viscosity dominates over inertial forces. Microfluidic tools are thus well suited to study microbial motility because they offer precise control of spatial structures and are ideal for the generation of laminar fluid flows with low Reynolds numbers at microbial lengthscales. These tools have been used in combination with microscopy platforms to visualise and study various microbial taxes. These include establishing concentration and temperature gradients to influence motility via chemotaxis and thermotaxis, or controlling the surrounding microenvironment to influence rheotaxis, magnetotaxis, and phototaxis. Improvements in microfluidic technology have allowed fine separation of cells based on subtle differences in motility traits and have applications in synthetic biology, directed evolution, and applied medical microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti P. Gurung
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, UNSW Sydney
| | - Murat Gel
- CSIRO Manufacturing, Clayton
- CSIRO Future Science Platform for Synthetic Biology
| | - Matthew A. B. Baker
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, UNSW Sydney
- CSIRO Future Science Platform for Synthetic Biology
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Ma Z, Chu PM, Su Y, Yu Y, Wen H, Fu X, Huang S. Applications of single-cell technology on bacterial analysis. QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s40484-019-0177-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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9
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Karbalaei A, Cho HJ. Microfluidic Devices Developed for and Inspired by Thermotaxis and Chemotaxis. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:E149. [PMID: 30424083 PMCID: PMC6187570 DOI: 10.3390/mi9040149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Taxis has been reported in many cells and microorganisms, due to their tendency to migrate toward favorable physical situations and avoid damage and death. Thermotaxis and chemotaxis are two of the major types of taxis that naturally occur on a daily basis. Understanding the details of the thermo- and chemotactic behavioral response of cells and microorganisms is necessary to reveal the body function, diagnosing diseases and developing therapeutic treatments. Considering the length-scale and range of effectiveness of these phenomena, advances in microfluidics have facilitated taxis experiments and enhanced the precision of controlling and capturing microscale samples. Microfabrication of fluidic chips could bridge the gap between in vitro and in situ biological assays, specifically in taxis experiments. Numerous efforts have been made to develop, fabricate and implement novel microchips to conduct taxis experiments and increase the accuracy of the results. The concepts originated from thermo- and chemotaxis, inspired novel ideas applicable to microfluidics as well, more specifically, thermocapillarity and chemocapillarity (or solutocapillarity) for the manipulation of single- and multi-phase fluid flows in microscale and fluidic control elements such as valves, pumps, mixers, traps, etc. This paper starts with a brief biological overview of the concept of thermo- and chemotaxis followed by the most recent developments in microchips used for thermo- and chemotaxis experiments. The last section of this review focuses on the microfluidic devices inspired by the concept of thermo- and chemotaxis. Various microfluidic devices that have either been used for, or inspired by thermo- and chemotaxis are reviewed categorically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Karbalaei
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
| | - Hyoung Jin Cho
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
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