Then, we defined for each fluorescence channel a threshold value delimiting positive and negative regions with respect to the considered marker and we determined the corresponding FCM parameters, cell percentage and fluorescence intensity. Our results showed that no significant TCS HDAC6 20b difference in GFP expression or Sytox red labelling was observed between fresh and bench cells. In contrast, both cell distribution between CTC + and CTC- regions and mean fluorescence intensity were noticeably affected in bench cells compared with fresh cells, indicating a drop in the reduced CTC production consistent with a cell respiring RU 28318, potassium salt activity decline caused by a temperature and oxygenation decrease. In the extreme situation of the fixed cells, CTC reduction was abolished. Bacteria are primarily found in the form of adherent communities, where they exhibit significant remodeling of their properties compared to planktonic cells. Despite the attention that these changes have garnered, the events determining bacterial physiological shift are still not well understood. In the work reported here, we sought to detect an early cell biological response to formation of cell-surface adhesive contact. Indeed, the phenotypic alterations observed in adherent communities were mainly examined in systems already established for hours or days during which intricate events occurred, including 3D-extracellular matrix formation, morphological changes and quorum sensing communication, blurring the initial adhesion step and confusing clarification of the various contributions. To gain access to the initial adhesion phase, we implemented a strategy using dispersed surfaces and flow cytometry analysis, which has recently been designed to monitor bacterial short-time-scale adhesion. The technique provides large statistical data sets, time resolution on the order of a few tens of seconds and simultaneous analysis of various-sized objects suspended in the same sample �� the reason why flow cytometry has gained significant ground in microbial analyses lately. In this microsystem, we found that E. coli, engineered to constitutively produce curli fibers on its surface, reached a steady state exhibiting stable fractions of multidimensional aggregates, planktonic and adherent cells. To quantitatively picture cell metabolic activity within the first hour of surface colonization, we adapted this strategy to simultaneously follow not only adhesion, but also cell respiration on suspended free-floating, adherent and aggregated cells that coexist in the microsystem formed when micrometric particles are brought into contact with a bacterial cell culture.