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Mapping the mechanical pulse of single cardiomyocytes with the atomic force microscope
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ARTICLE
Mapping the mechanical pulse of single cardiomyocytes with the atomic force microscope
J. Domke1, Wolfgang J. Parak1, Michael George1, Hermann E. Gaub1 and M. Radmacher1
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Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Amalienstrasse 54, D-80799 München, Germany e-mail:
manfred.radmacher@physik.uni-muenchen.de, DE |
Abstract The atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to analyse the contractile behaviour of embryonic chicken cardiomyocytes. The
mechanical pulsing of cardiomyocytes was analysed by observing active single cells as well as cells in a confluent layer.
When embedded in a confluent layer, owing to synchronisation, pulsing of the cells was often found to be very stable in terms
of frequency and amplitude of the beat, including negative as well as positive amplitudes. Nevertheless, owing to movements
of contraction centres within the layer, a flipping of the sign of the amplitude did sometimes also occur on a time scale
of minutes. In contrast, single cells often changed between active periods of pulsing and periods of complete quietness. Also
characteristic parameters like beat period and pulse amplitude were observed to be unstable. Finally, we combined the abilities
of the AFM to image adherent single cells and to record locally beat amplitudes, to characterise the pulsing behaviour of
single cells laterally resolved.
Key words Atomic force microscope - Chicken cardiomyocytes - Mechanical pulsing - Contraction centre
Received: 7 August 1998 / Revised version: 9 November 1998 / Accepted: 18 November 1998
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