Phenotype MicroArray™ are preconfigured 96-well plates containing different classes of chemical compounds. Through comprehensive and precise quantitation of phenotypes, researchers can obtain an unbiased perspective of the effect on cells of genetic differences, environmental changes, and exposure to drugs or chemicals.
DNA microarrays and proteomic methods made it possible to assay thousands of genes or proteins in a cell at once. Phenotype MicroArray™ technology is the next step in characterization, making it possible to measure thousands of cellular phenotypes in a single experiment.
- Correlate functional phenotypes with genotypes
- Determine a cell strain’s metabolic and chemical sensitivity properties
- Elucidate drug susceptibility
- Optimize cell lines and bioprocess culture conditions
- Characterize cellular phenotypes for taxonomic or epidemiological studies
After inoculation with a standardized cell suspension, they are designed to test for the functional presence or absence of thousands of phenotypes in a single experiment.
There are 10 panels designed to interrogate metabolic pathways along with ionic, osmotic and pH effects, and 10 panels to assess the sensitivity to various antimicrobials with different mechanisms of action.
| Plate Name | Description |
|---|---|
| PM 1-2 Microplates | Carbon utilization assays |
| PM 3 Microplate | Nitrogen utilization assays |
| PM 4 Microplate | Phosphorus – Sulfur utilization assays |
| PM 5 Microplate | Biosynthetic pathway/nutrient stimulation |
| PM 6-8 Microplates | Nitrogen utilization assays |
| PM 9 Microplate | Osmotic/Ionic response assays |
| PM 10 Microplate | pH response assays |
| PM 11-20 Microplates | Bacterial chemical sensitivity assays |
| PM 21-25 Microplates | Yeast chemical sensitivity assays |
Phenotype MicroArrays can be used in two ways. You can monitor cellular respiration by utilizing Biolog’s patented redox dye technology, which amplifies the signal from NADH production. You can also use the MicroArrays to monitor growth without the redox dye present.
Respiration and growth can be simultaneously monitored on Odin™, with and without the redox dye. (Fully automated incubator/readers with up to an 8-plate capacity (Odin VIII) or a 50-plate capacity (Odin L). When combined with Phenotype MicroArrays, Odin can analyze up to 4,800 conditions unattended for hours or days).
An example of how we compare phenotypes between two cell lines is depicted here. Cell line 1 (blue) and cell line 2 (yellow) are grown simultaneously under the same conditions. Our software will overlay the two respiration or growth curves to detect differences. The overlay area is green, allowing a qualitative view of the phenotypic differences between the cell lines.
Product Literature: Phenotype MicroArray Brochure, Application Note
Visit Biolog's website for more information: Microbial Phenotype