Applying Microfluidic Systems to Study Effects of Glucose at Single-Cell Level

Methods Mol Biol. 2018:1713:109-121. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7507-5_9.

Abstract

Microfluidic systems in combination with microscopy (e.g., fluorescence) can be a powerful tool to study, at single-cell level, the behavior and morphology of biological cells after uptake of glucose. Here, we briefly discuss the advantages of using microfluidic systems. We further describe how microfluidic systems are fabricated and how they are utilized. Finally, we discuss how the large amount of data can be analyzed in a "semi-automatic" manner using custom-made software. In summary, we provide a guide to how to use microfluidic systems in single-cell studies.

Keywords: Fluorescence microscopy; Glucose uptake; Microbiology; Microfluidic system; Optical tweezers; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Single cell analysis.

MeSH terms

  • Biological Transport
  • Glucose / metabolism*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques
  • Microfluidics* / instrumentation
  • Microfluidics* / methods
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Optical Tweezers
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism
  • Single-Cell Analysis* / instrumentation
  • Single-Cell Analysis* / methods

Substances

  • Glucose