Live cell interferometry reveals cellular dynamism during force propagation.
Cancer and many other diseases are characterized by changes in cell morphology, motion, and mechanical rigidity. However, in live cell cytology, stimulus-induced morphologic changes typically take 10-30 min to detect. Here, we employ live-cell interferometry (LCI) to visualize the rapid response of a whole cell to mechanical stimulation, on a time scale of seconds, and we detect cytoskeletal remodeling behavior within 200 s. This behavior involved small, rapid changes in cell content and miniscule changes in shape; it would be difficult to detect with conventional or phase contrast microscopy alone and is beyond the dynamic capability of AFM. We demonstrate that LCI provides a rapid, quantitative reconstruction of the cell body with no labeling. This is an advantage over traditional microscopy and flow cytometry, which require cell surface tagging and/or destructive cell fixation for labeling.
Reed
Jason
J
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, 607 Charles Young Drive East, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Troke
Joshua J
JJ
Schmit
Joanna
J
Han
Sen
S
Teitell
Michael A
MA
Gimzewski
James K
JK
D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D048429:Cell Size; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007368:Interferometry / Q000379:methods*; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000379:methods*; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells