New Lighting on Microbial Dark Matter: Enabled by Single Prokaryotic Cell Sequencing Using the B.SIGHT™ Single Bacteria Dispenser

A recent study from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and IMTEK department at the University of Freiburg in Germany, conducted using our single-bacteria dispenser, the B.SIGHT™, led to the identification of microbial “dark matter,” or uncultured microorganisms, in a complex sample derived from a wastewater treatment plant. Researchers reported the first successful use of a pioneering single cell dispensing system for label-free isolation of single bacteria from wastewater, demonstrating the potential of this technique for single-cell genomics and other downstream applications. This novel commercial tool enabled the sorting of single environmental cells without subjecting them to stress-causing labeling and prevented the sorting-stress seen with commonly used FACS protocols. The genome retrieval outcome was greater than 80% and, for 50.1% of these, resulted in the sequencing of 50 cells identified as members of Patescibacteria/Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR). The thus collected genomes of single and co-assembled cells are a valuable resource for advancing our knowledge of Patescibacteria/CPR.