Microbial EPS Interactions with Nanoparticles: A process influencing global transport to nanoscale-localization.
EMSL Project ID
47931
Abstract
Nanoparticles are ultra-small particulates often having novel properties. Their current use constitutes a multibillion dollar industry that is expected to rapidly grown in the near future. Nanoparticles are being released into the environment from a wide range of industries represent an emerging health and environmental concern. A major objective of this proposal is to examine how nanoparticles interact with the bacterial biofilm matrix. Biofilms, attached bacteria surrounded by an extracellular polymer (EPS) matrix, are a major sponge for nanoparticles. They occur in all natural environments. In this study, we will employ the use of Cryo-TEM, a highly-specialized form of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to examine how the EPS matrix is constructed at molecular scales, and how nanoparticles associate and migrate within the EPS matrix. The use of the PNNL is critical to this project because specialized Cryo-TEM instrumentation and personnel trained to operate the instrumentation are present in relatively few locations in the world. Using Cryo-TEMm we will determine whether the penetration of the EPS matrix is, in part, dependent on the size(s) of the nanoparticles. In a second major objective of this work, we will also examine the uptake of nanoparticles into bacterial cells using the specialized Cryo-TEM approach. This will challenge a long-standing paradigm in microbiology.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2013-10-01
End Date
2015-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator