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Chien CC, Jiang J, Gong B, Li T, Gaitas A. AFM Microfluidic Cantilevers as Weight Sensors for Live Single Cell Mass Measurements. MEASUREMENT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 33:095009. [PMID: 35832465 PMCID: PMC9273105 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6501/ac7280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Reliably measuring small mass changes at the single-cell level is challenging. In this manuscript, we report the use of microfluidic cantilevers in liquid with sub-nanogram scale weight sensing capability for the measurement of cellular mass changes of living single cells. With this instrumentation, we were able to perform fast mass measurements within 3 minutes. We show results of mass measurements of polystyrene and metal beads of various sizes (smallest weight measured at 280 ± 95 pg) and live single-cell mass measurements in a physiologically relevant environment. We also performed finite element analysis to simulate and optimize the structural design and materials of cantilevers. Our simulation results indicate that using polymer materials, such as SU8 and polyimide, could improve the minimal detectable mass by 3-fold compared to conventional silicon cantilevers. The simulations also suggest that smaller dimensions of length, width, and thickness would improve the mass detection capability of microfluidic cantilevers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Chi Chien
- The Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Jiaxin Jiang
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Bin Gong
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA. Sealy Center for Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA
- Center of Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infectious and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA
| | - Tao Li
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Angelo Gaitas
- The Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
- BioMedical Engineering & Imaging Institute, Leon and Norma Hess Center for Science and Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA
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Qiu Y, Chien CC, Maroulis B, Bei J, Gaitas A, Gong B. Extending applications of AFM to fluidic AFM in single living cell studies. J Cell Physiol 2022; 237:3222-3238. [PMID: 35696489 PMCID: PMC9378449 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.30809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
In this article, a review of a series of applications of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluidic Atomic Force Microscopy (fluidic AFM, hereafter fluidFM) in single-cell studies is presented. AFM applications involving single-cell and extracellular vesicle (EV) studies, colloidal force spectroscopy, and single-cell adhesion measurements are discussed. FluidFM is an offshoot of AFM that combines a microfluidic cantilever with AFM and has enabled the research community to conduct biological, pathological, and pharmacological studies on cells at the single-cell level in a liquid environment. In this review, capacities of fluidFM are discussed to illustrate (1) the speed with which sequential measurements of adhesion using coated colloid beads can be done, (2) the ability to assess lateral binding forces of endothelial or epithelial cells in a confluent cell monolayer in an appropriate physiological environment, and (3) the ease of measurement of vertical binding forces of intercellular adhesion between heterogeneous cells. Furthermore, key applications of fluidFM are reviewed regarding to EV absorption, manipulation of a single living cell by intracellular injection, sampling of cellular fluid from a single living cell, patch clamping, and mass measurements of a single living cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Qiu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Chen-Chi Chien
- The Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Basile Maroulis
- The Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Jiani Bei
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Angelo Gaitas
- The Estelle and Daniel Maggin Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York, USA.,BioMedical Engineering & Imaging Institute, Leon and Norma Hess Center for Science and Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Bin Gong
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.,Sealy Center for Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.,Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.,Institute for Human Infectious and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
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Verlinden EJ, Madadelahi M, Sarajlic E, Shamloo A, Engel AH, Staufer U, Ghatkesar MK. Volume and concentration dosing in picolitres using a two-channel microfluidic AFM cantilever. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:10292-10305. [PMID: 32363366 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr10494a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a two-channel microfluidic atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever that combines the nanomechanical sensing functionality of an AFM cantilever with the ability to manipulate fluids of picolitres or smaller volumes through nanoscale apertures near the cantilever tip. Each channel is connected to a separate fluid reservoir, which can be independently controlled by pressure. Various systematic experiments with fluorescent liquids were done by either injecting the liquids from the on-chip reservoir or aspirating directly through the nanoscale apertures at the tip. A flow rate analysis of volume dosing, aspiration and concentration dosing inside the liquid medium was performed. To understand the fluid behaviour, an analytical model based on the hydrodynamic resistance, as well as numerical flow simulations of single and multi-phase conditions were performed and compared. By applying pressures between -500 mbar and 500 mbar to the reservoirs of the probe with respect to the ambient pressure, flow rates ranging from 10 fl s-1 to 83 pl s-1 were obtained inside the channels of the cantilever as predicted by the analytical model. The smallest dosing flow rate through the apertures was 720 fl s-1, which was obtained with a 10 mbar pressure on one reservoir and ambient pressure on the other. The solute concentration in the outflow could be tuned to values between 0% and 100% by pure convection and to values between 17.5% and 90% in combination with diffusion. The results prove that this new probe enables handling multiple fluids with the scope to inject different concentrations of analytes inside a single living cell and also perform regular AFM functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Verlinden
- Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands.
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Levine ZA, DeNardis NI, Vernier PT. Phospholipid and Hydrocarbon Interactions with a Charged Electrode Interface. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2016; 32:2808-2819. [PMID: 26927605 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b04090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Using a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and experiments we examined the interactions of alkanes and phospholipids at charged interfaces in order to understand how interfacial charge densities affect the association of these two representative molecules with electrodes. Consistent with theory and experiment, these model systems reveal interfacial associations mediated through a combination of Coulombic and van der Waals forces. van der Waals forces, in particular, mediate rapid binding of decane to neutral electrodes. No decane binding was observed at high surface charge densities because of interfacial water polarization, which screens hydrophobic attractions. The positively charged choline moiety of the phospholipid palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) is primarily responsible for POPC attraction by a moderately negatively charged electrode. The hydrocarbon tails of POPC interact with the hydrophobic electrode interface similarly to decane. Previously reported electrochemical results confirm these findings by demonstrating bipolar displacement currents from PC vesicles adhering to moderately negatively charged interfaces, originating from the choline interactions observed in simulations. At more negatively charged interfaces, choline-to-surface binding was stronger. In both simulations and experiments the maximal interaction of anionic PS occurs with a positively charged interface, provided that the electrostatic forces outweigh local Lennard-Jones interactions. Direct comparisons between the binding affinities measured in experiments and those obtained in simulations reveal previously unobserved atomic interactions that facilitate lipid vesicle adhesion to charged interfaces. Moreover, the implementation of a charged interface in molecular dynamics simulations provides an alternative method for the generation of large electric fields across phospholipid bilayers, especially for systems with periodic boundary conditions, and may be useful for simulations of membrane electropermeabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadica Ivošević DeNardis
- Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute , 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - P Thomas Vernier
- Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University , Norfolk, Virginia 23508, United States
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Cell adhesion and spreading at a charged interface: Insight into the mechanism using surface techniques and mathematical modelling. Electrochim Acta 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2015.07.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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