Mechanical Characterisation of HeLa Cells using Atomic Force Microscopy

Recently, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been shown to be a suitable tool for imaging biological structures and their modification, adding to accurate morphological and cytomechanical information. AFM is capable of simultaneous nanometer spatial resolution and piconewton force detection, allowing detailed study of a cell surface morphology and monitoring of cell-tip interactions. Modern AFM techniques allow solving a number of problems of cell biomechanics due to simultaneous evaluation of the local mechanical properties and the topography of the living cells at a high spatial resolution and force sensitivity. We present a method that images and studies mechanically characterized cells using atomic force microscopy. We used a HeLa cell line (virus epithelioid cervix carcinoma), growth media DMEM as a scanning surrounding, atomic force microscopy Bruker Bioscope Catalyst for imaging and cytomechanical measurement. Local mechanical characteristics of cells has been analysed with focusing on the cell nucleus. The Young ́s modulus of elasticity for intact cells can indicate mechanical changes as main properties of cells. We determined the mode and the median of Young ́s modulus on 35 kPa during nucleus area of the HeLa cells.