UCL researchers image bacterial poles at molecular resolution for first time
University College London scientists have successfully imaged the ends of live rod-shaped bacteria at molecular resolution using a new immobilization technique published in Nature Communications.
New method keeps cells upright
Researchers chemically attached live bacteria to a glass surface to prevent them from moving during imaging. This process allowed atomic force microscopy probes to tap across the cell surfaces without disturbing their growth. When left for about 50 minutes, many bacteria remained standing straight up instead of lying on their sides. The probe is only a few nanometers wide and feels the surface like a finger reading Braille.
Active cells show fold defects
The team found that poles of rapidly dividing E coli bacteria had fold-like defects compared to smoother ends of less active cells. Cells from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii also showed striking differences when compared to the Escherichia coli samples. Professor Bart Hoogenboom noted that these poles contain critical information about how cells divide and grow. Dr Anna Scheeder stated the method helps observe nanoscale differences previously difficult to assess across different species.
Targets for drug resistance found
Understanding bacterial surface structures aims to lay foundations for new approaches to target deadly drug-resistant strains. Some bacteria-killing treatments prefer to attack the specific part of the cell where division occurs. The work is fundamental science that ultimately seeks new leads to combat resistant infections effectively.
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