Wide range scanning probe microscopy for probing mechanical effects on cellular function.

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) provides a range of strategies for studying biological phenomena due to its ability to image surfaces under liquids. However, some cellular events, such as cell migration, exceed the maximum measurable range of SPM. Recently, we have developed a wide range scanning probe microscope (WR-SPM) to investigate cellular events which exceed the range of the conventional SPM. In this review, we introduce the instrumentation of the WR-SPM, which can measure a sample for 400 µm in the xy directions and 23 µm in the z direction. We then show the application of the WR-SPM to studies of the stiffness response of epithelial cells to an external loading force and demonstrat that the stiffness of the epithelial cells increases under stretched conditions. We also showed the results on the mesh structure on the surface of a melanoma cell as well as the regulatory mechanism of the cellular contractile force by the combined use of topographical and mechanical modes of the WR-SPM. These findings indicate that the WR-SPM is very useful for studying the functions of a cell in relation to the surface structure and mechanical properties of that cell.