In situ mesoscale imaging of live biofilm dynamics using SALVI
EMSL Project ID
49143
Abstract
We seek to understand how the dynamics of nutrients, metabolites and metals influence microbial processes in biofilm systems. Our approach will use axenic or heterogeneous microbial communities to test how microorganisms interact with their environment at the pore-scale. Our overarching hypothesis is that biophysical and biochemical changes at the molecular level translate to cellular biochemical and structural responses and ultimately determine functions of microbial systems in a specific environment (e.g., biofilms). Chemical and metabolic observations corresponding to structural data are needed for mesoscale studies. We aim to address the following science questions: 1) What are the important molecular processes that control ion/electron transport across biological interfaces? and 2) How does nutrient exchange in a complex ecosystem influence molecular processes and microbial functions? We will conduct an integrative analysis of communication among biological subcellular components and multicellular organisms at scales ranging from molecular to several micrometers relevant to ecosystem levels using the EMSL analytical instrument, SAVLI (system for analysis at the liquid vacuum interface) coupled with multiple chemical imaging techniques. The portable SALVI platform, developed in EMSL, is suitable for finely focused imaging tools such as time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and super resolution fluorescence structure illumination microscopy (SIM). Using the SALVI microfluidic platform, we will examine how spatial heterogeneity in biofilm formation and EPS production influences biofilm dynamics in the mesoscale by imaging live biofilms using multimodal chemical imaging techniques. We will also investigate electron transfer reactions at the interface between the biofilm and the anode electrode to ascertain how potential-dependent current production varies at different development stages of biofilm from single attached cells to a mature, multicellular, three-dimensional structure. Computational simulation will be employed to understand how microscale fluxes impact the observed macroscale phenomena. These results will provide dynamic multiscale understanding of diverse microbial phenomic parameters from living biofilms and underpin integrative predications of dynamic cellular processes and interactions of real-world environments. The multimodal mesoscale imaging results will advance our fundamental understandings of molecular processes in terrestrial and subsurface environments and inform predicative understanding of biogeochemistry components of Earth System Models.
Project Details
Start Date
2015-11-16
End Date
2016-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
Ding Y, Y Zhou, J Yao, CJ Szymanski, JK Fredrickson, L Shi, B Cao, Z Zhu, and XY Yu. 2016. "In Situ Molecular Imaging of the Biofilm and Its Matrix." Analytical Chemistry 88(22):11244-11252. doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.6b03909
Hua X ,Szymanski C J,Wang Z ,Zhou Y ,Ma X ,Yu J ,Evans J E,Orr G ,Liu S ,Zhu Z ,Yu XY 2016. "Chemical imaging of molecular changes in a hydrated single cell by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry and super-resolution microscopy" Integrative Biology 8(5):579-666. 10.1039/c5ib00308c
Yu J, Y Zhou, X Hua, S Liu, Z Zhu, and XY Yu. 2016. "Capturing the transient species at the electrode-electrolyte interface by in situ dynamic molecular imaging." Chemical Communications 52(73):10952-10955. doi:10.1039/C6CC02893D
Yu X., J. Yao, D.B. Lao, D.J. Heldebrant, Z. Zhu, D. Malhotra, and M. Nguyen, et al. 2018. "Mesoscopic Structure Facilitates Rapid CO2 Transport and Reactivity in CO2 Capture Solvents." The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 9, no. 19:5765-5771. PNNL-SA-129707. doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b02231
Zhang F., X. Yu, J. Chen, Z. Zhu, and X. Yu. 2019. "Dark air-liquid interfacial chemistry of glyoxal and hydrogen peroxide." Nature Climate and Atmospheric Science. PNNL-SA-146695. doi:10.1038/s41612-019-0085-5