Publication
Title
Towards a nanoscale view of lactic acid bacteria
Author
Abstract
Probiotic bacteria have a strong potential in biomedicine owing to their ability to induce various beneficial health effects. Bacterial cell surface constituents play a key role in establishing tight interactions between probiotics and their host. Yet, little is known about the spatial organization and biophysical properties of the individual molecules. In this paper, we discuss how we have been using atomic force microscopy imaging and force spectroscopy to probe the nanoscale surface properties of Gram-positive lactic acid bacteria, with an emphasis on probiotic strains. Topographic imaging has enabled us to visualize bacterial cell surface structures (peptidoglycan, teichoic acids, pili, polysaccharides) under physiological conditions and with unprecedented resolution. In parallel, single-molecule force spectroscopy has been used to localize and force probe single cell surface constituents, providing novel insights into their spatial distribution and molecular elasticity. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Micron. - Oxford, 1993, currens
Publication
Oxford : Pergamon , 2012
ISSN
0968-4328 [print]
1878-4291 [online]
DOI
10.1016/J.MICRON.2012.01.001
Volume/pages
43 :12 (2012) , p. 1323-1330
ISI
000308680900016
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 22.11.2012
Last edited 20.08.2024
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