Protocol to measure the membrane tension and bending modulus of cells using optical tweezers and scanning electron microscopy

The elastic properties of cell membranes, particularly the membrane tension and bending modulus, are known to be key regulators of cellular functions. Here, we present a correlative and integrated tool based on optical tweezers and scanning electron microscopy to accurately determine these propertie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:STAR protocols 2021-03, Vol.2 (1), p.100283-100283, Article 100283
Main Authors: Pompeu, Pedro, Lourenço, Pedro S., Ether, Diney S., Soares, Juliana, Farias, Jefte, Maciel, Gabriela, Viana, Nathan B., Nussenzveig, H. Moysés, Pontes, Bruno
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biophysics
Cell biology
Cell membrane
Cell Membrane - metabolism
Cell Membrane - ultrastructure
Elasticity
Humans
Microscopy
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Optical Tweezers
Protocol
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Summary:The elastic properties of cell membranes, particularly the membrane tension and bending modulus, are known to be key regulators of cellular functions. Here, we present a correlative and integrated tool based on optical tweezers and scanning electron microscopy to accurately determine these properties in a variety of cell types. Although there are intrinsic difficulties associated with correlative experiments, we believe that the methods presented can be considered a suitable protocol for determining the elastic properties of cell membranes. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Soares et al. (2020). [Display omitted] •Protocol to obtain the membrane tension and bending modulus of cells•Detailed procedures to measure the membrane tether force with optical tweezers•Correlative optical tweezers-scanning electron microscopy to measure the tether radius The elastic properties of cell membranes, particularly the membrane tension and bending modulus, are known to be key regulators of cellular functions. Here, we present a correlative and integrated tool based on optical tweezers and scanning electron microscopy to accurately determine these properties in a variety of cell types. Although there are intrinsic difficulties associated with correlative experiments, we believe that the methods presented can be considered a suitable protocol for determining the elastic properties of cell membranes.
ISSN:2666-1667
2666-1667
DOI:10.1016/j.xpro.2020.100283