Imaging Proteins with Atomic Force Microscopy: An Overview

Silva, Luciano

doi:10.2174/1389203054546389

Cited by 26 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 131 publications

(137 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Since then, AFMs have been adapted with environmental control chambers, and have been retrofitted for microscopy, to investigate biological specimens such as cells. AFMs have been used to examine the mechanics of individual biomolecules [118][119][120], components of the cell nucleus [121,122], cytoskeletal structures [123,124], and whole cells [78,[125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139][140]; as well as changes in these mechanics during differentiation [141] and disease progression [142][143][144]. They have also been used to investigate the mechanotransductive response of cells to applied forces [145,146] or ECM stiffness [131,147,148].…”

Section: -4 / Vol 65 November 2013mentioning

confidence: 99%

Review on Cell Mechanics: Experimental and Modeling Approaches

Rodriguez

McGarry

Sniadecki

2013

Applied Mechanics Reviews

188

182

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The interplay between the mechanical properties of cells and the forces that they produce internally or that are externally applied to them play an important role in maintaining the normal function of cells. These forces also have a significant effect on the progression of mechanically related diseases. To study the mechanics of cells, a wide variety of tools have been adapted from the physical sciences. These tools have helped to elucidate the mechanical properties of cells, the nature of cellular forces, and mechanoresponses that cells have to external forces, i.e., mechanotransduction. Information gained from these studies has been utilized in computational models that address cell mechanics as a collection of biomechanical and biochemical processes. These models have been advantageous in explaining experimental observations by providing a framework of underlying cellular mechanisms. They have also enabled predictive, in silico studies, which would otherwise be difficult or impossible to perform with current experimental approaches. In this review, we discuss these novel, experimental approaches and accompanying computational models. We also outline future directions to advance the field of cell mechanics. In particular, we devote our attention to the use of microposts for experiments with cells and a bio-chemical-mechanical model for capturing their unique mechanobiological properties.

show abstract

Section: -4 / Vol 65 November 2013mentioning

confidence: 99%

Review on Cell Mechanics: Experimental and Modeling Approaches

Rodriguez

McGarry

Sniadecki

2013

Applied Mechanics Reviews

188

182

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…AFM alone provides accurate information about the height of a protein, but STM can provide improved lateral information. Tandem STM/AFM has been used to characterize the morphology of metalloproteins such as azurin [15,23,24] .…”

Section: Emerging Techniques For the Study Of Protein Adsorptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protein Adsorption to Biomaterials

Schmidt

Waldeck

Kao

2009

Biological Interactions on Materials Surfaces

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Within milliseconds after biomaterials come in contact with a biological fluid such as blood, proteins begin to adhere to the surface through a process known as protein adsorption. Protein adsorption is initially strongly influenced by protein diffusion, but protein affinity for the surface becomes critically important and, over time, higher-affinity proteins can be replaced by lower-affinity proteins in a dynamic process. By the time cells arrive, the material surface has already been coated in a monolayer of proteins; hence, the host cells do not "see" the material but "see" instead a dynamic layer of proteins. Multiple parameters influence protein adsorption to a substrate surface including the chemical and physical properties of both the protein and the material surface, as well as the presence of other proteins on the surface.Many methods have been developed in the last several decades to study protein adsorption to biomaterial surfaces. These new techniques provide information about the type and conformation of adsorbed proteins from multicomponent solutions such as blood serum. Nanomaterials as well as functional group immobilization and novel, stimuli-sensitive polymer surfaces have provided new alternatives for the study and modulation of protein adsorption, with insight into the mechanisms underlying protein adsorption and subsequent cell adhesion. However, a molecular-level understanding of all aspects of protein adsorption is still incomplete. The future of this field, however, is bright as new technologies offer great promise for further elucidation of protein adsorption. Abbreviations AFM

show abstract

“…AFM images can be obtained in two types of feedback modes: An “AC” mode in which the tip is oscillated at its resonant frequency and a constant amplitude is maintained as the sample is scanned, or in a “DC” (contact) mode in which the tip is brought into direct contact with the surface and the cantilever deflection is kept constant. AFM imaging has been widely used for studying the structure and mechanics of isolated biomolecules [25-27], components of the cell nucleus [28, 29], and subcellular cytoskeletal structures [10, 30]. In addition to imaging, AFM has been successfully used in a force mode in which the tip is held in a fixed horizontal position and used to indent the sample.…”

Section: Tools For Measuring Mechanical Properties Of Single Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining mechanical and optical approaches to dissect cellular mechanobiology

Sen

Kumar

2010

Journal of Biomechanics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mechanical force modulates a wide array of cell physiological processes. Cells sense and respond to mechanical stimuli using a hierarchy of structural complexes spanning multiple length scales, including force-sensitive molecules and cytoskeletal networks. Understanding mechanotransduction, i.e., the process by which cells convert mechanical inputs into biochemical signals, has required the development of novel biophysical tools that allow for probing of cellular and subcellular components at requisite time, length and force scales and technologies that track the spatio-temporal dynamics of relevant biomolecules. In this review, we begin by discussing the underlying principles and recent applications of atomic force microscopy, magnetic twisting cytometry, and traction force microscopy, three tools that have been widely used for measuring the mechanical properties of cells and for probing the molecular basis of cellular mechanotransduction. We then discuss how such tools can be combined with advanced fluorescence methods for imaging biochemical processes in living cells in the context of three specific problem spaces. We first focus on fluorescence resonance energy transfer, which has enabled imaging of intra-and intermolecular interactions and enzymatic activity in real time based on conformational changes in sensor molecules. Next, we examine the use of fluorescence methods to probe force-dependent dynamics of focal adhesion proteins. Finally, we discuss the use of calcium ratiometric signaling to track fast mechanotransductive signaling dynamics. Together, these studies demonstrate how single-cell biomechanical tools can be effectively combined with molecular imaging technologies for elucidating mechanotransduction processes and identifying mechanosensitive proteins.

show abstract

Imaging Proteins with Atomic Force Microscopy: An Overview

Cited by 26 publications

References 131 publications

Review on Cell Mechanics: Experimental and Modeling Approaches

Review on Cell Mechanics: Experimental and Modeling Approaches

Protein Adsorption to Biomaterials

Combining mechanical and optical approaches to dissect cellular mechanobiology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About