Abstract
Cyanobacterium has ion channels on its cell membrane, and they work to protect the cell from osmotic stress. Since functions of some ion channels relate to intracellular pressure changes, we aim to develop the mechanical characteristics measurement system of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, which is one of the most commonly investigated unicellular cyanobacteria. There are two important concerns in constructing the system: one is how to transport the target cell to the measurement point, and how to deform it because the cyanobacteria is a floating cell whose diameter is a few micrometer. In this paper, we propose the system utilizing the robot integrated microfluidic chip with optical tweezers for transportation of the target cell. The chip has an on-chip probe actuated by a micromanipulator, and a force sensor. We present the concept of the total system, and perform mechanical characteristics measurement of a single cyanobacterium.
