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Acoustic detection of cell adhesion on a quartz crystal microbalance
Author(s) -
DaSilva AnaCarina,
Rodrigues Rogério,
Rosa Luís F. M.,
deCarvalho Jorge,
Tomé Brigitte,
Ferreira Guilherme N. M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
biotechnology and applied biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.468
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1470-8744
pISSN - 0885-4513
DOI - 10.1002/bab.1041
Subject(s) - quartz crystal microbalance , adhesion , cell adhesion , hela , hek 293 cells , fluorescence microscope , biophysics , chemistry , materials science , analytical chemistry (journal) , cell , fluorescence , biology , biochemistry , chromatography , receptor , adsorption , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
An acoustic quartz crystal microbalance ( QCM ) was used to signal and follow the cell‑adhesion process of epithelial cells [human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 T and cervical cancer (HeLa) and fibroblasts [African Green Monkey kidney cells ( COS –7)] onto gold surfaces. Cells were applied on the sensor and grown under serum‐free and serum‐supplemented culture media. The sensor resonance frequency (Δ f ) and motional resistance (Δ R ) variations were measured during cell growth to monitor cell adhesion processes. Fingerprints of the adhesion processes, generated using the QCM signal, were found to be specific for each cell type while enabling the identification of the phases of the adhesion process. Under serum‐free conditions, the deposition of HEK 293 T and H e L a cells was characterized by a decrease of Δ f with constant Δ R , whereas for COS ‑7 cells, this initial deposition was signaled by variations of Δ R at constant Δ f . Toward the end of the adhesion process, fingerprints were characterized by a continuous increase of Δ R consistent with the increase in viscoelasticity. The morphology of adherent cells was visualized by fluorescent microscopy, enabling the association of the cell morphology with QCM signals.