skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Attention:

The NSF Public Access Repository (PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 10:00 PM ET on Friday, February 6 until 10:00 AM ET on Saturday, February 7 due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Title: Microfluidic Bioelectrochemical Cell Platform for the Study of Extracellular Electron Uptake in Microbes
Miniaturization of measurement systems offers several advantages, including reduced sample and reagent volumes, improved control over experimental conditions, and the ability to multiplex complementary measurement modalities, thereby enabling new types of studies in microbial electrochemistry. We present a scalable glass-based microfluidic bioelectrochemical cell (µ-BEC) platform for multiplexed investigations of microbial extracellular electron uptake (EEU). The platform integrates eight independently addressable three-electrode cells in a 2×4 array, with transparent working electrodes that support simultaneous electrochemical analysis and optical imaging. Using Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 as a model phototroph, we measured EEU activity under light-dark cycling. Microfluidic flow was used to selectively remove planktonic cells, enabling isolation of the electron uptake signal associated with surface attached cells. These results demonstrate the µ-BEC as a robust and adaptable platform for probing microbial electron transfer, with broad potential for high-throughput and multimodal studies.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2300081 2021822
PAR ID:
10611368
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Preprints.org
Date Published:
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Identification of membrane antigens and measurement of their expression within a cell population is of fundamental importance to medical and biological studies. In this work, we present a cytometry approach that is based on magnetophoresis and distributed Coulter sensing in a microfluidic system. Our magnetophoretic cytometer offers quantitative analysis of cell membrane antigens on a portable and disposable platform compared to conventional flow cytometers, which are complex, expensive and large systems. Our tests with human breast cancer cells show the utility of our microfluidic device and its potential as a point-of-care instrument for biomedical testing. 
    more » « less
  2. Tellurium is a critical mineral for the foreseeable future due to its scarcity and importance in future energy technology. A biocathode of a bioelectrochemical reactor (BEC) was used for the first time to extracellularly reduce TeO32- in simulated wastewater to elemental Te0 nanorods, which could potentially be recovered. Scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed that only 2% of the cells on the biocathode contained intracellular Te0 nanorods. In contrast, in the conventional bioreactor (CBR), 40% of the cells contained intracellular Te0 nanorods. Raman spectroscopy determined that the Te0 nanorods were trigonal and amorphous Te0. Microbial community analysis showed the dominance of Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, and Azospira phylotypes in the cathode chamber, despite being < 8% in the inoculum. They were all putative TeO32- reducers due to their known ability to reduce tellurite and transfer extracellular electrons. The TeO32- removal efficiency in the BEC reactor reached 97% when the influent TeO32- was 5 mg Te/L. The reactor operating conditions, including the flow rate, the external resistor, and the cation exchange membrane, were optimized. This work demonstrates the potential of BEC reactors for continuous and green synthesis of Te0 nanorods. 
    more » « less
  3. null (Ed.)
    Microbes exchange electrons with their extracellular environment via direct or indirect means. This exchange is bidirectional and supports essential microbial oxidation–reduction processes, such as respiration and photosynthesis. The microbial capacity to use electrons from insoluble electron donors, such as redox-active minerals, poised electrodes, or even other microbial cells is called extracellular electron uptake (EEU). Autotrophs with this capability can thrive in nutrient and soluble electron donor-deficient environments. As primary producers, autotrophic microbes capable of EEU greatly impact microbial ecology and play important roles in matter and energy flow in the biosphere. In this review, we discuss EEU-driven autotrophic metabolisms, their mechanism and physiology, and highlight their ecological, evolutionary, and biotechnological implications 
    more » « less
  4. Microfluidic devices offer well-defined physical environments that are suitable for effective cell seeding and in vitro three-dimensional (3D) cell culture experiments. These platforms have been employed to model in vivo conditions for studying mechanical forces, cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, and to elucidate transport mechanisms in 3D tissue-like structures, such as tumor and lymph node organoids. Studies have shown that fluid flow behavior in microfluidic slides (µ-slides) directly influences shear stress, which has emerged as a key factor affecting cell proliferation and differentiation. This study investigates fluid flow in the porous channel of a µ-slide using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques to analyze the impact of perfusion flow rate and porous properties on resulting shear stresses. The model of the µ-slide filled with a permeable biomaterial is considered. Porous media fluid flow in the channel is characterized by adding a momentum loss term to the standard Navier–Stokes equations, with a physiological range of permeability values. Numerical simulations are conducted to obtain data and contour plots of the filtration velocity and flow-induced shear stress distributions within the device channel. The filtration flow is subsequently measured by performing protein perfusions into the slide embedded with native human-derived ECM, while the flow rate is controlled using a syringe pump. The relationships between inlet flow rate and shear stress, as well as filtration flow and ECM permeability, are analyzed. The findings provide insights into the impact of shear stress, informing the optimization of perfusion conditions for studying tissues and cells under fluid flow. 
    more » « less
  5. Membrane antigens control cell function by regulating biochemical interactions and hence are routinely used as diagnostic and prognostic targets in biomedicine. Fluorescent labeling and subsequent optical interrogation of cell membrane antigens, while highly effective, limit expression profiling to centralized facilities that can afford and operate complex instrumentation. Here, we introduce a cytometry technique that computes surface expression of immunomagnetically labeled cells by electrically tracking their trajectory under a magnetic field gradient on a microfluidic chip with a throughput of >500 cells per min. In addition to enabling the creation of a frugal cytometry platform, this immunomagnetic cell manipulation-based measurement approach allows direct expression profiling of target subpopulations from non-purified samples. We applied our technology to measure epithelial cell adhesion molecule expression on human breast cancer cells. Once calibrated, surface expression and size measurements match remarkably well with fluorescence-based measurements from a commercial flow cytometer. Quantitative measurements of biochemical and biophysical cell characteristics with a disposable cytometer have the potential to impact point of care testing of clinical samples particularly in resource limited settings. 
    more » « less