A microfluidic chip for studying the reproduction of Enteromorpha prolifera

•Platform of microfluidic chip was used to study the growth of E. prolifera.•Germ cells could be automatic separation and collection.•Growth of both algae and germ cells could be conveniently observed.

In recent years, green tides caused by water eutrophication, has brought serious environmental problems. Enteromorpha prolifera (E. prolifera), an opportunistic macroalgae, is one of the main source contributing to the formation of green tides. It has been estimated that the excessive growth of E. prolifera is closely related to various reproductive ways of germ cells which are at the micrometer scale. Here we report a microfluidic device named Germ Cell Capture Chip (GCChip) to investigate the E. prolifera reproductive mechanism. GCChip integrates the functions of algal growing, and the release, capture and selective culture of germ cells. Automatic separation and capture of germ cells on the chip allows to study germ cells’ response to different stimuli. The novel device greatly facilitates long-term live-cell imaging at cellular resolution and implements the rapid and accurate exchange of growth medium without manual intervention. Results showed that the starting time of germ cell releases were earlier on the chip than that of traditional experiments with more concentrated breakout. Moreover, GCChip can be widely applied on the study of other algae. The study of algae growth process, including the elongation of somatic cell, the generation, and the release of reproductive cells, can all be improved by using this microfluidic platform.

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