Abstract
The ability to isolate and cultivate cells in the laboratory has been key to progress in the life sciences. Methods that allow for automated and rapid isolation and cultivation of microorganisms in the laboratory can provide access to organisms that have previously not been propagated in the laboratory, thereby enabling in-depth studies of the physiology of these microbes. Here we describe an automated high-throughput method that combines encapsulation of cells into agarose microcapsules. After isolating individual cells by encapsulation, the population of cells can be incubated as a whole. Cells that divide and form distinct microcolonies within the microcapsule can subsequently be separated from each other by flow cytometry.
The original version of this chapter was revised: Corresponding author name was updated and acknowledgement content was added to the chapter. The erratum to this chapter is available at 10.1007/8623_2016_197
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Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Lars Behrendt, Søren Johannes S½rensen, and Jakob Winther (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) for providing results prior to publication that led to further improvements of the method.
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Zengler, K. (2014). Protocols for High-Throughput Isolation and Cultivation. In: McGenity, T., Timmis, K., Nogales , B. (eds) Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Protocols. Springer Protocols Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2014_38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/8623_2014_38
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