Soft Materials Seminar - "Cryo-EM of C. lytica Cells, Vesicles and their Functionalizations"

Cellulophaga lytica forms structurally colored biofilms whose optical properties arise from nanoscale and microscale organization, but the contributions of individual cellular and extracellular components remain unclear. We use cryogenic electron microscopy and tomography to characterize native cell morphology, membrane architecture, and extracellular vesicle production while preserving the hydrated bacterial structure. An optimized EV isolation workflow further enables characterization of intact extracellular vesicles by cryo-EM and nanoparticle tracking analysis. We are also developing a bioorthogonal metabolic labeling strategy to functionalize and visualize the bacterial outer membrane. Together, these studies establish a structural framework for investigating how nanoscale biological organization contributes to biofilm structure, function, and structural color.