Growth dynamics of yeast in 3D granular media

The biochemical and genetic regulation of budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) growth dynamics has been extensively studied using homogeneous liquid and 2D culture models. The natural habitats and commercial applications of yeast, by contrast, involve complex and disordered 3D environments that are often granular in nature. These present dramatically different mechanical regimes from what can be realized using conventional culture methods. Our present study focuses on bridging this gap by investigating yeast growth dynamics in 3D porous, granular environments. We synthesize self-healing 3D viscoelastic microgels with tuneable rheological properties to investigate how stiffness and physical confinement alter the kinetics of cellular growth and proliferation. We achieve this using a combination of absorbance-based growth assays and live-cell confocal imaging. Our results will describe how the perception and subsequent response to mechanical cues regulates growth dynamics under 3D confinement in granular environments.