Open AccessQuantitative single‐cell detection of poly(β‐hydroxybutyrate) accumulation in Rhizobium meliloti by flow cytometry
Author(s) -
Fouchet P,
Jan S,
Courtois J,
Courtois B,
Frelat G,
Barbotin J.N
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07386.x
Subject(s) - flow cytometry , rhizobia , rhizobium , cytometry , population , intracellular , biology , bacteria , biophysics , microbiology and biotechnology , symbiosis , genetics , demography , sociology
The ability of flow cytometry to detect intracellular accumulation of poly(β‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) in individual cells of Rhizobium meliloti was investigated using light scatter parameters. PHB accumulation during stationary phase was shown to form inclusion bodies inside cells which were detected by forward angle light scatter (FALS) parameter. A linear relationship was found between FALS intensity and percentage of PHB (w/w) of cells, demonstrating that flow cytometry allowed a quantitative analysis of intracellular PHB accumulation. In addition, results showed the ability of flow cytometry to quantify heterogeneity of rhizobia population in fermentation according to PHB production and accumulation.