Nanoscale probing the kinetics of oriented bacterial cell growth using atomic force microscopy

Abstract

Probing oriented bacterial cell growth on the nanoscale: A novel open-top micro-channel is developed to facilitate the AFM imaging of physically trapped but freely growing bacteria. The growth curves of individual Escherichia coli cells with nanometer resolution and their kinetic nano-mechanical properties are quantitatively measured.

Keywords: atomic force microscopy; bacteria; biochips; kinetics; oriented growth.