title: Towards a nanoscale view of fungal surfaces.
abstract: In the past years, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has offered novel possibilities for exploring the nanoscale surface properties of fungal cells. For the first time, AFM imaging enables investigators to visualize fine surface structures, such as rodlets, directly on native hydrated cells. Moreover, real-time imaging can be used to follow cell surface dynamics during cell growth and to monitor the effect of molecules such as enzymes and drugs. In fact, AFM is much more than a microscope in that when used in the force spectroscopy mode, it allows measurement of physicochemical properties such as surface energy and surface charge, to probe the elasticity of cell wall components and macromolecules, and to analyse the force and localization of molecular recognition events.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Chimie des Interfaces, Université Catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 2/18, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dague
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verbelen
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andre
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alsteens
authors.forename: Yves F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Dufrêne
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005658:Fungi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013499:Surface Properties