High-temperature live-cell imaging of cytokinesis, cell motility and cell-cell adhesion in the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Abstract

Significant technical challenges have limited the study of extremophile cell biology. For example, the absence of methods for performing high-resolution, live-cell imaging at high temperatures (>50{degrees}C) has impeded the study of cell motility and cell division in thermophilic archaea such as model organisms from the genus Sulfolobus. Here we describe a system for imaging samples at 75{degrees}C using high numerical aperture, oil-immersion lenses. With this system we observed and quantified the dynamics of cell division in the model thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. In addition, we observed previously undescribed dynamic cell shape changes, cell motility, and cell-cell interactions, shedding significant new light on the high-temperature lifestyle of this organism.