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Title: Vibrational spectroscopy for imaging single microbial cells in complex biological samples

Journal Article · · Frontiers in Microbiology

Here, vibrational spectroscopy is increasingly used for the rapid and non-destructive imaging of environmental and medical samples. Both Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging have been applied to obtain detailed information on the chemical composition of biological materials, ranging from single microbial cells to tissues. Due to its compatibility with methods such as stable isotope labeling for the monitoring of cellular activities, vibrational spectroscopy also holds considerable power as a tool in microbial ecology. Chemical imaging of undisturbed biological systems (such as live cells in their native habitats) presents unique challenges due to the physical and chemical complexity of the samples, potential for spectral interference, and frequent need for real-time measurements. This Mini Review provides a critical synthesis of recent applications of Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy for characterizing complex biological samples, with a focus on developments in single-cell imaging. We also discuss how new spectroscopic methods could be used to overcome current limitations of singlecell analyses. Given the inherent complementarity of Raman and FT-IR spectroscopic methods, we discuss how combining these approaches could enable us to obtain new insights into biological activities either in situ or under conditions that simulate selected properties of the natural environment.

Research Organization:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0013887
OSTI ID:
1367190
Journal Information:
Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 8; ISSN 1664-302X
Publisher:
Frontiers Research FoundationCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 39 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (6)

Analysis of basidiomycete pigments in situ by Raman spectroscopy journal March 2018
Isolation of intact bacteria from blood by selective cell lysis in a microfluidic porous silica monolith journal June 2019
Next-generation physiology approaches to study microbiome function at single cell level journal February 2020
Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) in Microbiology: Illumination and Enhancement of the Microbial World journal March 2018
Fourier-Transform Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy and Laser Ablation -ICPMS New Vistas for Biochemical Analyses of Ischemic Stroke in Rat Brain journal September 2018
Stable-Isotope Probing of Human and Animal Microbiome Function journal December 2018

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