Microfluidic chip for the analysis of bacterial chemotaxis

박테리아 주화성 검사용 마이크로 플루이딕 칩

Chemotaxis is the directed movement of cells in gradients of signaling molecules, an essential biological process that underlies morhpogenesis during development, and the recruitment of immune cells to sites of infection. Especially, bacterial chemotaxis has utilized as an important prelude to study metabolism, prey-predator relationship, symbiosis, other ecological interactions in microbial communities. Recently, novel analytical formats integrated with microfluidics were introduced to investigate the chemotaxis of the cells with the precise control of chemical gradient and small volume of cells. In this study, we present a method to detect bacterial chemotaxis by direct fluidic contacting. The developed fluidic-handling method is driven by capillary force, hydrophobic barrier and a cohesion force between fluids. We have investigated the chemotactic response of E Coli. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to three kinds of chemoeffectors such as HEPES buffer, peptone and chloroform.