Microoxen: Microorganisms to move microscale loads

Weibel et al. 10.1073/pnas.0505481102.

Supporting Information

Files in this Data Supplement:

Movie 1. Phototactic steering of cells of CR carrying loads. This movie shows the phenomenon illustrated in Fig. 2; the movie is played in real time.

Movie 2. Photocleavage of beads from CR. This movie shows a bead cleaved from the surface of a cell of CR using UV light (l = 365 nm) as depicted in Fig. 3. The movie is played in real time.

Supporting Text

Attachment of Beads to Cells. PS beads containing surface function groups (carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, and amino groups) and nonfunctionalized PS beads bound to cells in very low yields: <<1% of cells had beads attached.

Phototaxis vs. Chemotaxis for Guiding Cells Carrying Loads. We initially investigated chemotaxis as a means of steering cells carrying beads. In microfluidic channels, a disappointingly weak chemotactic response accompanied the slow formation of sucrose gradients. Interested in a gradient that could be established more rapidly than a chemical gradient and would elicit a stronger response, we switched to phototaxis.

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