Methods for imaging Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 nanofilaments.
Nanofilament production by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was evaluated as a function of lifestyle (planktonic vs. sessile) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions using different sample preparation techniques prior to imaging with scanning electron microscopy. Nanofilaments could be imaged on MR-1 cells grown in biofilms or planktonically under both aerobic and anaerobic batch culture conditions after fixation, critical point drying and coating with a conductive metal. Critical point drying was a requirement for imaging nanofilaments attached to planktonically grown MR-1 cells, but not for cells grown in a biofilm. Techniques described in this paper cannot be used to differentiate nanowires from pili or flagella.
Ray
R
R
US Naval Research Laboratory, John C. Stennis Space Center, MS 39529, USA.
Lizewski
S
S
Fitzgerald
L A
LA
Little
B
B
Ringeisen
B R
BR
D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053770:Nanowires; D020592:Shewanella / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*