4. Conclusion
This study demonstrated the use of microdroplets for quantitative,
high-throughput and low-cost assessment of growth of single yeast cells.
The results from single-cell assays showed that PA and AA inhibit cell
growth, the uptake of K+ improves PA tolerance in
yeast, and TRK 1 mutant exhibits increased PA tolerance, agreeing
with previous findings obtained by analysis of cells in bulk
populations. Neither were cells in microdroplets seen to experience
noticeable loss in viability over 48 hours. Moreover, the microdroplet
approach reveals subpopulation phenomena that are obscured by population
average measurements, opening avenues to probe cell-to-cell variations
under different environmental conditions.