Design, Fabrication, and Application of a Microfluidic Device for Investigating Physical Stress-Induced Behavior in Yeast and Microalgae

초록

Purpose: The development of an efficient in vitro cell culture device to process various cells would represent a majormilestone in biological science and engineering. However, the current conventional macro-scale in vitro cell cultureplatforms are limited in their capacity for detailed analysis and determination of cellular behavior in complex environments. This paper describes a microfluidic-based culture device that allows accurate control of parameters of physical cues such aspressure. Methods: A microfluidic device, as a model microbioreactor, was designed and fabricated to culture Saccharomycescerevisiae and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under various conditions of physical pressure stimulus. This device wascompatible with live-cell imaging and allowed quantitative analysis of physical cue-induced behavior in yeast andmicroalgae. Results: A simple microfluidic-based in vitro cell culture device containing a cell culture channel and an airchannel was developed to investigate physical pressure stress-induced behavior in yeasts and microalgae. The shapes ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii could be controlled under compressive stress. The lipid productionby Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was significantly enhanced by compressive stress in the microfluidic device when comparedto cells cultured without compressive stress. Conclusions: This microfluidic-based in vitro cell culture device can be used asa tool for quantitative analysis of cellular behavior under complex physical and chemical conditions.

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