Atomic Force Microscopy-Based Force Spectroscopy and Multiparametric Imaging of Biomolecular and Cellular Systems

During the last three decades, a series of key technological improvements turned atomic force microscopy (AFM) into a nanoscopic laboratory to directly observe and chemically characterize molecular and cell biological systems under physiological conditions. Here, we review key technological improvem...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical reviews 2021-10, Vol.121 (19), p.11701-11725
Main Authors: Müller, Daniel J, Dumitru, Andra C, Lo Giudice, Cristina, Gaub, Hermann E, Hinterdorfer, Peter, Hummer, Gerhard, De Yoreo, James J, Dufrêne, Yves F, Alsteens, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic force microscopy
Image manipulation
Kinetics
Laboratories
Light microscopy
Lipids
Microscopes
Microscopy
Microscopy, Atomic Force - methods
Nucleic acids
Optical microscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectrum Analysis
Sugar
Temporal resolution
Thermodynamics
Tissues
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Summary:During the last three decades, a series of key technological improvements turned atomic force microscopy (AFM) into a nanoscopic laboratory to directly observe and chemically characterize molecular and cell biological systems under physiological conditions. Here, we review key technological improvements that have established AFM as an analytical tool to observe and quantify native biological systems from the micro- to the nanoscale. Native biological systems include living tissues, cells, and cellular components such as single or complexed proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, or sugars. We showcase the procedures to customize nanoscopic chemical laboratories by functionalizing AFM tips and outline the advantages and limitations in applying different AFM modes to chemically image, sense, and manipulate biosystems at (sub)­nanometer spatial and millisecond temporal resolution. We further discuss theoretical approaches to extract the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of specific biomolecular interactions detected by AFM for single bonds and extend the discussion to multiple bonds. Finally, we highlight the potential of combining AFM with optical microscopy and spectroscopy to address the full complexity of biological systems and to tackle fundamental challenges in life sciences.
ISSN:0009-2665
1520-6890
DOI:10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00617