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Xu F, Zhang S, Ma L, Hou Y, Li J, Denisenko A, Li Z, Spatz J, Wrachtrup J, Lei H, Cao Y, Wei Q, Chu Z. Quantum-enhanced diamond molecular tension microscopy for quantifying cellular forces. Sci Adv 2024; 10:eadi5300. [PMID: 38266085 PMCID: PMC10807811 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi5300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
The constant interplay and information exchange between cells and the microenvironment are essential to their survival and ability to execute biological functions. To date, a few leading technologies such as traction force microscopy, optical/magnetic tweezers, and molecular tension-based fluorescence microscopy are broadly used in measuring cellular forces. However, the considerable limitations, regarding the sensitivity and ambiguities in data interpretation, are hindering our thorough understanding of mechanobiology. Here, we propose an innovative approach, namely, quantum-enhanced diamond molecular tension microscopy (QDMTM), to precisely quantify the integrin-based cell adhesive forces. Specifically, we construct a force-sensing platform by conjugating the magnetic nanotags labeled, force-responsive polymer to the surface of a diamond membrane containing nitrogen-vacancy centers. Notably, the cellular forces will be converted into detectable magnetic variations in QDMTM. After careful validation, we achieved the quantitative cellular force mapping by correlating measurement with the established theoretical model. We anticipate our method can be routinely used in studies like cell-cell or cell-material interactions and mechanotransduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xu
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shuxiang Zhang
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Linjie Ma
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yong Hou
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jie Li
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Andrej Denisenko
- 3rd Institute of Physics, Research Center SCoPE and IQST, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Zifu Li
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Joachim Spatz
- Department for Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstraße 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM), University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 225, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jörg Wrachtrup
- 3rd Institute of Physics, Research Center SCoPE and IQST, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Hai Lei
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Yi Cao
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Qiang Wei
- College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Zhiqin Chu
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
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