Multimodal atomic force microscopy: Biological imaging using atomic force microscopy combined with light fluorescence and confocal microscopies and electrophysiologic recording
✍ Scribed by Ratneshwar Lal; Roger Proksch
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 423 KB
- Volume
- 8
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0899-9457
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Because the atomic force microscope (AFM) allows mo-
I. INTRODUCTION lecular resolution imaging of hydrated specimens, it provides a unique
The atomic force microscope (AFM) [1], also known as the window to the microscopic biological world. A high signal-to-noise scanning force microscope, can image the three-dimensional ratio in AFM images sets them apart from the images obtained from (3D) surface structure of biological specimens in a fluid environother techniques: One does not need extensive image analyses often ment, and as such provides an opportunity for observing, at morequired by other techniques to obtain high-resolution information. lecular resolution, real-time biochemical and physiologic pro-AFM can provide molecular details on crystalline as well as amorphous materials. However, it is often limited in providing identity of cesses. The possibility of direct 3D molecular structure-function the imaged structures, especially in a complex system such as a studies sets AFM apart from other existing molecular structural cellular membrane. AFM's application for biological imaging will rely biological techniques such as electron microscopy (EM) and Xon an unambiguous identification of imaged structures. For mixed ray diffraction. macromolecules, it may be essential to make critical comparisons of Atomic force microscopy has been used to image a wide varithe same structural features imaged with AFM and other techniques ety of individual biological macromolecules, whole cells, memsuch as light fluorescence and confocal microscopies, electron mibranes and membrane-bound proteins, and a few interactive procroscopy and X-ray diffraction, and biochemical, immunologic, and cesses [2,3]. Dynamic biochemical processes such as enzymepharmacologic techniques and electrophysiologic recordings. Sigsubstrate reactions and crystal growth, and physicochemical nificantly, the simple design of AFM allows it to be integrated with properties such as elasticity, viscosity, and various chemical other techniques for simultaneous multimodal imaging. Recent combined multimodal imaging include light fluorescence, confocal, and