Remote Magnetic Actuation of Micrometric Probes for in situ 3D Mapping of Bacterial Biofilm Physical Properties

Summary

This paper shows an original methodology based on the remote actuation of magnetic particles seeded in a bacterial biofilm and the development of dedicated magnetic tweezers to measure in situ the local mechanical properties of the complex living material built by micro-organisms at interfaces.

Abstract

Bacterial adhesion and growth on interfaces lead to the formation of three-dimensional heterogeneous structures so-called biofilms. The cells dwelling in these structures are held together by physical interactions mediated by a network of extracellular polymeric substances. Bacterial biofilms impact many human activities and the understanding of their properties is crucial for a better control of their development — maintenance or eradication — depending on their adverse or beneficial outcome. This paper describes a novel methodology aiming to measure in situ the local physical properties of the biofilm that had been, until now, examined only from a macroscopic and homogeneous material perspective. The experiment described here involves introducing magnetic particles into a growing biofilm to seed local probes that can be remotely actuated without disturbing the structural properties of the biofilm. Dedicated magnetic tweezers were developed to exert a defined force on each particle embedded in the biofilm. The setup is mounted on the stage of a microscope to enable the recording of time-lapse images of the particle-pulling period. The particle trajectories are then extracted from the pulling sequence and the local viscoelastic parameters are derived from each particle displacement curve, thereby providing the 3D-spatial distribution of the parameters. Gaining insights into the biofilm mechanical profile is essential from an engineer's point of view for biofilm control purposes but also from a fundamental perspective to clarify the relationship between the architectural properties and the specific biology of these structures.

Introduction

Bacterial biofilms are communities of bacteria associated with biological or artificial surfaces^1-3. They form by an adhesion-growth mechanism coupled with the production of polysaccharide-rich extracellular matrix that protects and stabilizes the edifice^4,5. These biofilms are not simply passive assemblages of cells stuck to surfaces, but organized and dynamic complex biological systems. When bacteria switch from planktonic to biofilm lifestyle, changes in gene expression and cell physiology are observed as well as increased resistance to antimicrobials and host immune defenses being at the origin of many persistent and chronic infections^6<....

Protocol

1. Bacteria Culture and Suspension Preparation

1. Pick a freshly grown colony from a Lysogeny Broth (LB) agar plate, inoculate it in 5 ml liquid LB medium containing 100 µg/ml ampicillin and 7.5 µg/ml tetracycline and incubate it for 5 to 6 hr at 37 °C on a shaking platform.
2. Then, add 100 µl of the bacterial culture in 5 ml minimum medium (M63B1) supplemented with 0.4% glucose and the same antibiotic concentrations. Incubate this freshly diluted culture overnight at 37 °C on a shaking platform.
3. After 16 hr of incubation, add 100 μl the overnight culture to 5 ml M63B1, 0.4% glucose. Keep the tube at 37 °C to the s....

Results

A typical analysis will provide the spatial distribution of the viscoelastic parameters at the micron scale on a living biofilm without disturbing its original arrangement. Typical results are shown in Figure 7 where the values of J₀ — the elastic compliance — are given as a function of the z-axis along the depth and of the y-axis along a lateral dimension of the biofilm. Each point corresponds to a bead which creep curve analysis has provided a J₀ value. The data revealed that loca.......

Discussion

This magnetic particle seeding and pulling experiment enabled in situ 3D mapping of the viscoelastic parameters of a growing biofilm in its original state. This approach revealed the mechanical heterogeneity of the E. coli biofilm grown here and gave clues to point out the biofilm components supporting the biofilm physical properties, strongly suggesting a fundamental implication of the extracellular matrix and more precisely its degree of cross-linking.

The recognition of me.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Table 1: Reagents and cells
Magnetic particles	Life technologies	14307D	Micrometric magnetic particle, 2.8 µm diameter
Ampicillin (Antibiotic)	Sigma-Aldrich	A9518
Tetracycline (Antibiotic)	Sigma-Aldrich	87128
Bacterial strain MG1655gfpF	UGB, Institut Pasteur, France		Produces F pili at its surface, resistant to Ampicilllin and tetracycline.
Table 2: Capillaries and tubing
Filters for pediatric perfusion	Prodimed-Plastimed	6932002
Hollow Square Capillaries	Composite Metal Scientific	8280-100	Manufactured in Borosilicate glass. Square 0.8 mm x 0.8 mm
Tubing silicone peroxyde	VWR international	228-0512	Diameter 1 mm
Tubing silicone peroxyde	VWR international	228-0700	Diameter 3 mm
Table 3: Biofilm growth
Lysogeny Broth (LB) solution	Amresco-VWR	J106-10PK	Standard medium used to grow bacteria.
M63B1 solution	Home-made		Standard minimum medium used to grow bacteria.
Glucose	Sigma-Aldrich	G8270	Used to make M63B1 medium with 0.4% glucose.
Table 4: Electronics
Camera EMCCD	Hamamatsu	C9100-02
Heater controller	World precision instruments	300354
Function generator	Agilent technologies	33210A
Power amplifier	Home-made		It gives a current signal with amplitudes up to 4 A.
Syringe pumps	Kd Scientific	KDS-220
Shutter	Vincent Associates	Uniblitz T132
Magnetic tweezers	Home-made		Two electromagnetic poles, each made of a copper coil with 2,120 turns of 0.56 mm in diameter copper wire and soft magnetic alloy cores (Supra50-Arcelor Mittal, France) square shaped according to the blueprint shown in Figure 10. The two cores are mounted north pole facing south pole, in order to generate a magnetic force in one direction along the length of the capillary. See coil wiring details in Figure 11.
Table 5: Optics
Inverted microscope	Nikon	TE-300
S Fluor x40 Objective (NA 0.9, WD0.3)	Nikon		This a long working distance objective enabling observation of the biofilm in the depth.
Epifluorescence filters: 1) for green fluorescence: Exc 480/20 nm; DM 495; Em 510/20  2) for Red fluorescence: Exc 540/25 nm; DM 565; Em 605/55	Chroma	1)#49020 2)#31002	Particle displacement upon force application is recorded using the red fluoresecnce filter block.
Table 6: Image analysis
ImageJ	NIH - particle tracker plugin