Applications of Atomic Force Microscopy and Single-Cell Force Spectroscopy in Cell Adhesion Research

摘要

With AFM, biological samples can be investigated directly without prior preparation under physiological conditions. AFM used in force spectroscopy mode is a sensitive force measuring device, able to detect forces between biological molecules or cells from the pico- to the nanonewton scale. The dual function as an imaging and force spectroscopy device makes AFM an extremely versatile tool in life sciences research. Here I describe several current applications of AFM to better understand fundamental mechanisms of cell adhesion, particularly initial adhesion events when cells first encounter macromolecules contained in their environment. These applications include high-resolution imaging of living cells, measuring cell adhesion forces down to the single-receptor level and characterizing mechanical properties of three-dimensional cell-culture scaffolds. Examples are provided of how the combined used of AFM and light microscopy can provided complementary information on cell adhesion processes.