Title of the invention: A method for live cell imaging of bacterial cells using anionic porphyrins and its metallo derivatives

Date of filing                        : 11/05/2009
    Application No                     : 1082/CHE/2009
    Name of the applicant          : P. Gautam, V. Sujatha, K.S.Vinod Kumar, SrinathKrishnamurthy and Bharat Sridhar
    Name of inventor                 : P. Gautam, V. Sujatha, K.S.Vinod Kumar, SrinathKrishnamurthy and Bharat Sridhar

Abstract:

The main objective of the present invention is live cell imaging technique for bacterial cells using anionic porphyrins and its metallo derivatives. In a specific illustrative preferred embodiment of this aspect of the invention, Pseudomonas culture was grown for 24hrs at 37 ° C at 160 rpm in Luria-Bertani medium using standard microbiological procedure. One ml of the Pseudomonas culture was mixed with \Q\x] of anionic porphyrin and 10 \x\ of zinc, derivative in separate eppendorf tubes under aseptic condition. The sample was incubated in room temperature for 5 min.

One drop of the sample was taken in a glass slide and was visualized under ii TIRF microscope, where the organisms fluoresced well. The fluorescence of the moving cells indicates that the organism has taken up the fluorophore. The non-toxic nature of the fluorophore is quite promising in extending this procedure for fluorescent studying localization, trafficking, and expression levels of bio molecules in live cells.