EAPSI: Visualization of bacterial cell membranes using high-resolution microscopy

趋磁细菌（MTB）是一种在环境科学、磁学、医学和生物技术等领域具有重要意义的微生物。这些细菌之所以令人感兴趣，是因为它们复杂的膜结构和在细胞内形成微小磁铁的能力。为了制造磁铁，MTB使用它们栖息地中的铁。当磁铁形成并被膜包围时，它们被称为磁小体。后者允许山地车沿着地球磁场导航。铁从环境到细胞的运输还不是很清楚。这项研究将使用高分辨率显微镜研究细菌细胞膜。 这项技术将允许对细胞膜进行分析，以更好地了解铁从环境中运输到细胞中以及磁小体的形成。本研究将与金泽大学MTB和显微镜分析专家Yoshihiro Jumori博士合作进行。通过本研究获得的知识将提供有关细菌膜的见解，这将有利于上述学科。本研究的目的是可视化和分析MTB的细胞膜结构动力学。这将通过研究磁细菌AMB-1或M. magneticum MS-1，使用高速原子力显微镜（HS-AFM）。高速原子力显微镜为微生物学研究提供了新的机会，用于研究接近天然状态的单细胞和分子。这项研究将提供有关革兰氏阴性细胞膜复杂性的重要信息，并了解结合，扩散，耐药性，运输和渗透压等过程。这些图像将存储在大学的服务器上，可以向调查人员申请使用许可。这个NSF EAPSI奖是与日本科学促进协会合作资助的。

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are microscopic organisms with important implications in environmental sciences, magnetism, medicine, and biotechnology among other fields. These bacteria are of interest because of their complex membrane structure and their ability to form tiny magnets inside their cells. To make the magnets, MTB use iron present in their habitat. When the magnets are formed and become enclosed in a membrane, they are called magnetosomes. The latter allow MTB to navigate along Earth's magnetic field. The transport of iron from the environment to the cell is not well understood. This research will study the bacterial cell membrane using high-resolution microscopy. This technology will allow the analysis of the cell membrane to better understand the transport of iron from the environment into the cell, and the formation of the magnetosomes. This research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Yoshihiro Fukumori, an expert on MTB and microscopy analysis at Kanazawa University. The knowledge gained through this study will provide insight about the bacterial membranes that will benefit the aforementioned disciplines.The objective of this study is to visualize and analyze cell membrane structural dynamics of MTB. This will be achieved by studying Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1, or M. magneticum MS-1, using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM). High-speed AFM has provided new opportunities in microbiology for studying single cells and molecules in a near-native state. This research will provide important information about the complexity of Gram-negative cell membrane and insight about processes like binding, diffusion, drug resistance, transport, and osmotic pressure. The images will be stored in university servers and permission for their use can be requested from the investigators. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.