Biotechnology Bulletin ›› 2023, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (9): 1-11.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2022-1506

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Research Progress in Microbial Single Cell Separation Methods

ZHANG Kun1,3(), YAN Chang1,3, TIAN Xin-peng1,2()   

  1. 1. CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica; RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301
    2. Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458
    3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049
  • Received:2022-12-08 Online:2023-09-26 Published:2023-10-24
  • Contact: TIAN Xin-peng E-mail:zhangkunynu@163.com;xinpengtian@scsio.ac.cn

Abstract:

Most microorganisms in nature are in an uncultured state,which are called “microbial dark matter”. With the development of technology innovations in microbial single-cell separation, significant progress has been made in applying new technologies and methods to the challenges of microbial pure-culture. These new separation and culture strategies will greatly promote the development of microbial resources research. Despite the increasing achievements related to metagenomics and genomics, the isolation and cultivation of single microbial cells are still essential to systematically study their ecological functions, genetic evolution, and so on. This paper mainly summarizes the principle and application of membrane diffusion culture, microfluidic sorting, fluorescence activated cell sorting, single cell Raman sorting, optical tweezers technology, micromanipulation technology and other single cell separation technologies currently used or under development, as well as their advantages and disadvantages in microbial single cell isolation and culture. At the same time, the paper also discusses development and application prospects of single-cell separation technologies in the future.

Key words: microbial dark matter, single cell separation, uncultured microbes, selective isolation of microorganisms