AFM Study of Yeast Cell Wall

AFM has been used for a high-resolution imaging of the surface topography of dried yeast cells fixed on glass slide. Differences between yeast cells cultured in media with 0.2% and 2% glucose concentration are presented. Though we intend to examine yeast cells under native condition in aqueous media later, we used this simplest method of sample preparation in this preliminary study. This study is a part of a more complex assay aimed to learn whether the entrapment of cells in the pores of polycarbonate filters can induce an additional mechanical stress high enough to affect cell properties.