Leishmania amazonensis chemotaxis under glucose gradient studied by the strength and directionality of forces measured with optical tweezers

Liliana de Ysasa Pozzo; Adriana Fontes; André A. de Thomaz; Luiz Carlos Barbosa; Diana Copi Ayres; Selma Giorgio; Carlos Lenz Cesar

doi:10.1117/12.701196

19 February 2007 Leishmania amazonensis chemotaxis under glucose gradient studied by the strength and directionality of forces measured with optical tweezers

Liliana de Ysasa Pozzo, Adriana Fontes, André A. de Thomaz, Luiz Carlos Barbosa, Diana Copi Ayres, Selma Giorgio, Carlos Lenz Cesar

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6441, Imaging, Manipulation, and Analysis of Biomolecules, Cells, and Tissues V; 64411R (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.701196
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2007, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Chemotaxis is the mechanism microorganisms use to sense the environment surrounding them and to direct their movement towards attractive, or away from the repellent, chemicals. The biochemical sensing is almost the only way for communication between unicellular organisms. Prokaryote and Eukaryote chemotaxis has been mechanically studied mainly by observing the directionality and timing of the microorganisms movements subjected to a chemical gradient, but not through the directionality and strength of the forces it generates. To observe the vector force of microorganisms under a chemical gradient we developed a system composed of two large chambers connected by a tiny duct capable to keep the chemical gradient constant for more than ten hours. We also used the displacements of a microsphere trapped in an Optical Tweezers as the force transducer to measure the direction and the strength of the propulsion forces of flagellum of the microorganism under several gradient conditions. A 9μm diameter microsphere particle was trapped with a Nd:YAG laser and its movement was measured through the light scattered focused on a quadrant detector. We observed the behavior of the protozoa Leishmania amazonensis (eukaryote) under several glucose gradients. This protozoa senses the gradient around it by swimming in circles for three to five times following by tumbling, and not by the typical straight swimming/tumbling of bacteria. Our results also suggest that force direction and strength are also used to control its movement, not only the timing of swimming/tumbling, because we observed a higher force strength clearly directed towards the glucose gradient.

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Liliana de Ysasa Pozzo, Adriana Fontes, André A. de Thomaz, Luiz Carlos Barbosa, Diana Copi Ayres, Selma Giorgio, and Carlos Lenz Cesar "Leishmania amazonensis chemotaxis under glucose gradient studied by the strength and directionality of forces measured with optical tweezers", Proc. SPIE 6441, Imaging, Manipulation, and Analysis of Biomolecules, Cells, and Tissues V, 64411R (19 February 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.701196

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KEYWORDS

Glucose

Microorganisms

Optical tweezers

Sensors

Optical testing

Diffusion

Light scattering

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