Molecular Force Spectroscopy on Cells: Physiological Functions of Cell Adhesion

초록

Molecular force spectroscopy (MFS) is a powerful single-cell force spectroscopy tool, usually associated with the height maps of sample surfaces with supernanometer resolution. It enables a single living cell is attached to the atomic force microscope (AFM) to quantify the forces that drive cell-to-cell and cell-to-substrate interactions. Interestingly, AFM-based measurements could be useful to image samples with little or no treatment and under physiologically live conditions, making it well-suited for investigating the ultrastructure of biological tissues. As cell-matrix adherence is a dynamic process, it undergoes continuous remodeling characterized by the perpetual breakage and reformation of bonds with extracellular binding partners. Using AFM-based on single-cell force spectroscopy (AFM-SCFS) is the most extensively studied technique to find in detail the physiological functions of cell adhesion. For this reason, molecular force measurements on the level of single cells gain interest not only for nano/bio-physics but also for biomedical engineering. This chapter discusses an overview of commonly used AFM-SCFS techniques and their applications for single-cell imaging. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd, part of Springer Nature 2022.

키워드