Cell Attachment and Spreading Processes Monitored by the Thickness Shear-Mode Quartz Sensor

Abstract

Kinetics of attachment and spreading processes of adherent living cells are investigated using the thickness shear-mode quartz-crystal sensor technique. Within the framework of the transmission line representation and its variant the lumped element model, experimental results of the shear electrical motional resistance derived from the Butterworth-Van Dyke equivalent circuit in the vicinity of the sensor mechanical resonant frequency have shown that the increase of this parameter is strongly correlated with the evolving surface coverage during attachment and spreading of the adherent living cells on the quartz sensor surface. Both the dependence of the shear electrical motional resistance on the cell concentration and the contribution of the extracellular matrix proteins on the shear acoustical response of the thickness shear-mode quartz sensor are analyzed. Shear acoustical results are further correlated to both optical microscopic observation and cell counting technique. Finally, the ability of the thickness shear-mode quartz resonator technique to monitor specific cell-substrate interactions is discussed.

An alternative quantitative acoustical and electrical method for detection of cell adhesion process in real‐time

“…These results suggest that the motional resistance is a function of the cell adhering concentration with as a variable the surface occupied by the cells, on the number of the integrins per cell. Our assumption is that when the quartz crystal resonator vibrates at the frequency of 9 MHz, an acoustic wave is generated in the adherent cell whose rough penetration is 10 À1 mm (Haider et al, 2004;Ladau and Lifschitz, 1991;Rajakovié et al, 1991;Wang et al, 2008) corresponding approximately to the thickness of the basal membrane of adhering cells (Fig. 9).…”

“…Scheme of cell adhesion to the quartz crystal resonator. When we measured the motional resistance for cells which adhere, the ultrasound penetration (Ladau and Lifschitz, 1991;Rajakovié et al, 1991;Haider et al, 2004;Wang et al, 2008) is 10 À1 mm, corresponding to the thickness of the adherent cell. Basal membranes are detected.…”

“…The thickness d of the oscillating boundary layer is involved in the measurements (shear waves at a frequency v in a fluid of kinematic viscosity n) (Bandey et al, 1999;Haider et al, 2004;Martin et al, 1991):…”

“…A rough evaluation, taking into account the experimental conditions lead to a thickness of the order of 10 À1 mm (Haider et al, 2004;Rajakovié et al, 1991;Wang et al, 2008 Le Guillou-Buffello et al: Detection of Cell Adhesion Process L-Glutamine (4 mM), penicillin (100 units/mL) and streptomycin (100 mg/mL). T4 Jurkat cells were grown in a 5% CO 2 humidified atmosphere at 378C.…”

“…An oscillating electric field applied across the electrodes propagates an acoustic wave through the quartz crystal (Sauerbrey, 1956). Authors such as, Fohlevova et al (2007), Guo et al (2008), Heitmann and Wegener (2007), Li et al (2005), Thid et al (2007), and Wei et al (2007) successfully cultured different cell lines on the surface of shear sensors and recorded the cell adhesion by using the oscillator method monitoring frequency but not motional resistance as Marx et al (2003), Haider et al (2004), Le . In this study, we examine in detail the feasibility of the use of acoustic sensors to monitor cell adhering concentration during the initial, the spreading and the growth phase.…”