Abstract
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.
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Li, M., Liu, L., Xi, N. et al. Atomic force microscopy imaging of live mammalian cells. Sci. China Life Sci. 56, 811–817 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-013-4532-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-013-4532-y