A galinstan expansion femtosyringe for microinjection of eukaryotic organelles and prokaryotes

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A galinstan expansion femtosyringe enables femtoliter to attoliter samples to be introduced into prokaryotes and subcellular compartments of eukaryotes. The method uses heat-induced expansion of galinstan (a liquid metal alloy of gallium, indium, and tin) within a glass syringe to expel samples through a tip diameter of about 0.1 μm. The narrow tip inflicts less damage than conventional capillaries, and the heat-induced expansion of the galinstan allows fine control over the rate of injection. We demonstrate injection of Lucifer Yellow and Lucifer Yellow–dextran conjugates into cyanobacteria, and into nuclei and chloroplasts of higher organisms. Injection of a plasmid containing the bla gene into the cyanobacterium Phormidium laminosum resulted in transformed ampicillin-resistant cultures. Green fluorescent protein was expressed in attached leaves of tobacco and Vicia faba following injection of DNA cantaining its gene into individual chloroplasts.