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Nanoscale imaging of microbial pathogens using atomic force microscopy
Author(s) -
Alsteens David,
Dague Etienne,
Verbelen Claire,
Andre Guillaume,
Dupres Vincent,
Dufrêne Yves F.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1939-0041
pISSN - 1939-5116
DOI - 10.1002/wnan.18
Subject(s) - nanoscopic scale , nanotechnology , atomic force microscopy , force spectroscopy , microscopy , chemical imaging , biophysics , chemistry , materials science , biology , computer science , physics , hyperspectral imaging , artificial intelligence , optics
The nanoscale exploration of microbes using atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an exciting research field that has expanded rapidly in the past years. Using AFM topographic imaging, investigators can visualize the surface structure of live cells under physiological conditions and with unprecedented resolution. In doing so, the effect of drugs and chemicals on the fine cell surface architecture can be monitored. Real‐time imaging offers a means to follow dynamic events such as cell growth and division. In parallel, chemical force microscopy (CFM), in which AFM tips are modified with specific functional groups, allows researchers to measure interaction forces, such as hydrophobic forces, and to resolve nanoscale chemical heterogeneities on cells, on a scale of only ∼25 functional groups. Lastly, molecular recognition imaging using spatially resolved force spectroscopy, dynamic recognition imaging or immunogold detection, enables microscopists to localize specific receptors, such as cell adhesion proteins or antibiotic binding sites. These noninvasive nanoscale analyses provide new avenues in pathogenesis research, particularly for investigating the action mode of antimicrobial drugs, and for elucidating the molecular basis of pathogen–host interactions Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. This article is categorized under: Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology