Hydrophobic adhesion forces of leaf microbiota members revealed by a modular AFM approach
Adhesion is a key process in bacterial surface colonization and biofilm formation. A recent paper in “The ISME Journal” highlights a broadly applicable atomic force microscopy (AFM) method to quantify the single-cell adhesion forces of bacteria.
The authors developed a method that utilizes fluidic force microscopy (FluidFM) technology to reversibly immobilize functionalized beads on AFM cantilevers to serve as a substrate mimic. The approach allowed the comparative analysis of single-cell adhesion forces with minimal sample preparation. Forces between hydrophobic beads and hundreds of bacterial cells were recorded. The adhesion characteristics of the analyzed bacterial leaf strains revealed distinct characteristics as well as differences in adhesion forces of several orders of magnitude. Beyond hydrophobic interactions, the approach is readily adaptable to other interactions of interest through the use of functionalized beads of choice.
Link to the publication in external page "The ISME Journal"