Atomic force microscopy imaging of live mammalian cells.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to examine the morphology of live mammalian adherent and suspended cells. Time-lapse AFM was used to record the locomotion dynamics of MCF-7 and Neuro-2a cells. When a MCF-7 cell retracted, many small sawtooth-like filopodia formed and reorganized, and the thickness of cellular lamellipodium increased as the retraction progressed. In elongated Neuro-2a cells, the cytoskeleton reorganized from an irregular to a parallel, linear morphology. Suspended mammalian cells were immobilized by method combining polydimethylsiloxane-fabricated wells with poly-L-lysine electrostatic adsorption. In this way, the morphology of a single live lymphoma cell was imaged by AFM. The experimental results can improve our understanding of cell locomotion and may lead to improved immobilization strategies.
State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
Mi
M
Li
Lianqing
L
Liu
Ning
N
Xi
Yuechao
Y
Wang
Zaili
Z
Dong
Xiubin
X
Xiao
Weijing
W
Zhang
D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*