title: Chemical tethering of motile bacteria to silicon surfaces.
abstract: We chemically immobilized live, motile Escherichia coli on micrometer-scale, photocatalytically patterned silicon surfaces via amine- and carboxylic acid-based chemistries. Immobilization facilitated (i) controlled positioning; (ii) high resolution cell wall imaging via atomic force microscopy (AFM); and (iii) chemical analysis with time-of-flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Spinning motion of tethered bacteria, captured with fast-acquisition video, proved microbe viability. We expect our protocols to open new experimental doors for basic and applied studies of microorganisms, from host-pathogen relationships, to microbial forensics and drug discovery, to biosensors and biofuel cell optimization.
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Applied Physics and Biophysics, Livermore, CA, USA. bearinger1@llnl.gov
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bearinger
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dugan
authors.forename: Ligang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Haley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Christian
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hubbell