Münster 1997 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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CP: Chemische Physik

CP 11: Poster zur Sitzung CP1

CP 11.24: Poster

Montag, 17. März 1997, 18:30–21:15, FBH

MEASURING THE ELASTIC PROPERTIES OF LIVING CELLS AND POLYMERS WITH THE ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE — •Radmacher Manfred¹, Rotsch Christian¹, Domke Jan¹, Hofmann Uli¹, and Jacobson Ken² — ¹Lehrstuhl f"ur Angewandte Physik, Universit"at M"unchen, Amalienstrasse 54, 80799 M"unchen — ²Dept. of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA

We have used the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to investigate and measure the elastic properties of soft, biological samples. First we will demonstrate the ability of the AFM to measure accurately elastic properties over a wide range of sample softnesses. This will be shown by tuning the softness of gelatin samples via exchanging the fluid in situ in the AFM. Second, we will then apply the technique to measure the softness of living cells as a function of lateral position. Data of living 3T3 fibroblasts and of living embryonic chicken heart cells will be shown. The elastic moduli of these two cell types vary locally between 1 kPA and 200 kPa, depending on the position of the AFM tip on the cell.