title: Dual-trap Raman tweezers for probing dynamics and heterogeneity of interacting microbial cells.
abstract: We report on development of dual-trap Raman tweezers for monitoring cellular dynamics and heterogeneity of interacting living cells suspended in a liquid medium. Dual-beam optical tweezers were combined with Raman spectroscopy, which allows capturing two cells that are in direct contact or closely separated by a few micrometers and simultaneously acquiring their Raman spectra with an imaging CCD spectrograph. As a demonstration, we recorded time-lapse Raman spectra of budding yeast cells held in dual traps for over 40 min to monitor the dynamic growth in a nutrient medium. We also monitored two germinating Bacillus spores after the initiation with L-alanine and observed their heterogeneity in the release of CaDPA under identical microenvironment.
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Academy of Sciences Biophysics Laboratory Nanning, Guangxi 530003, China. liy@ecu.edu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guiwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui-Lu
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Junxian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000502:physiology*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation*