A Structural Study of Escherichia coli Cells Using an In Situ Liquid Chamber TEM Technology

Studying cell microstructures and their behaviors under living conditions has been a challenging subject in microbiology. In this work, in situ liquid chamber TEM was used to study structures of Escherichia coli cells in aqueous solutions at a nanometer-scale resolution. Most of the cells remained i...

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Main Authors: Yibing Wang, Xin Chen, Hongliang Cao, Chao Deng, Xiaodan Cao, Ping Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2015-01-01
Series:Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/829302
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author Yibing Wang
Xin Chen
Hongliang Cao
Chao Deng
Xiaodan Cao
Ping Wang
author_facet Yibing Wang
Xin Chen
Hongliang Cao
Chao Deng
Xiaodan Cao
Ping Wang
author_sort Yibing Wang
collection DOAJ
description Studying cell microstructures and their behaviors under living conditions has been a challenging subject in microbiology. In this work, in situ liquid chamber TEM was used to study structures of Escherichia coli cells in aqueous solutions at a nanometer-scale resolution. Most of the cells remained intact under electron beam irradiation, and nanoscale structures were observed during the TEM imaging. The analysis revealed structures of pili surrounding the E. coli cells; the movements of the pili in the liquid were also observed during the in situ tests. This technology also allowed the observation of features of the nucleoid in the E. coli cells. Overall, in situ TEM can be applied as a valuable tool to study real-time microscopic structures and processes in microbial cells residing in native aqueous solutions.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2090-8865
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publishDate 2015-01-01
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series Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry
spelling doaj-art-3afe09e4d039495897eba8cdb3d962de2025-08-20T03:55:36ZengWileyJournal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry2090-88652090-88732015-01-01201510.1155/2015/829302829302A Structural Study of Escherichia coli Cells Using an In Situ Liquid Chamber TEM TechnologyYibing Wang0Xin Chen1Hongliang Cao2Chao Deng3Xiaodan Cao4Ping Wang5State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Biomedical Nanotechnology Center, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, ChinaKey Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, ChinaKey Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, ChinaKey Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Biomedical Nanotechnology Center, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Biomedical Nanotechnology Center, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, ChinaStudying cell microstructures and their behaviors under living conditions has been a challenging subject in microbiology. In this work, in situ liquid chamber TEM was used to study structures of Escherichia coli cells in aqueous solutions at a nanometer-scale resolution. Most of the cells remained intact under electron beam irradiation, and nanoscale structures were observed during the TEM imaging. The analysis revealed structures of pili surrounding the E. coli cells; the movements of the pili in the liquid were also observed during the in situ tests. This technology also allowed the observation of features of the nucleoid in the E. coli cells. Overall, in situ TEM can be applied as a valuable tool to study real-time microscopic structures and processes in microbial cells residing in native aqueous solutions.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/829302
spellingShingle Yibing Wang
Xin Chen
Hongliang Cao
Chao Deng
Xiaodan Cao
Ping Wang
A Structural Study of Escherichia coli Cells Using an In Situ Liquid Chamber TEM Technology
Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry
title A Structural Study of Escherichia coli Cells Using an In Situ Liquid Chamber TEM Technology
title_full A Structural Study of Escherichia coli Cells Using an In Situ Liquid Chamber TEM Technology
title_fullStr A Structural Study of Escherichia coli Cells Using an In Situ Liquid Chamber TEM Technology
title_full_unstemmed A Structural Study of Escherichia coli Cells Using an In Situ Liquid Chamber TEM Technology
title_short A Structural Study of Escherichia coli Cells Using an In Situ Liquid Chamber TEM Technology
title_sort structural study of escherichia coli cells using an in situ liquid chamber tem technology
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/829302
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