Great paper: a droplet #microfluidics assay to encapsulate single micron-sized algae to study long-term #behaviour.
https://elifesciences.org/articles/76519#fig4
by Bentley et al. gielenlab.com and @micromotility
A thread.
#Chlamydomonas (2 #cilia) and #Pyramimonas (8 cilia) #algae were encapsulated into droplets by #microfluidics and imaged at high speed to characterise gait switching dynamics and the effect of light.
The locomotion of single-cells is characterised by a trio of motility macrostates (run, stop, tumble) with distinct transition probabilities that could be quantified by long-term imaging.
The motility is light-switchable, which was known, but the long-term imaging of single cells in light and dark revealed a cellular #memory: the light-altered behavioural state persisted after light off.
The authors also developed and tested a novel droplet-fusion assay to expose single cells in a controlled manner to chemicals. This could be a very elegant way to e.g., dissect #signalling mechanisms in the cells by #pharmacology.
@jekely This is so cool- so many possibiities for screening. I am now super-envious of your micro-organisms Gaspar & @micromotility! Congrats beautiful work Kirsty & co!
@micromotility Cool science. Look forward to broader applications in other single-cell entities. 👍
@MingqingCai thanks very much for your interest! yes we hope this technology is useful for many different specimens!
