Force measurement of plant cell utilizing atomic force microscopy

Abstract

Clarification of mechanical states of plants are essential for understanding structural inevitability and environmental adaptability of growing plants. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has attracted attention as a promising measurement tool for evaluating mechanical states with resolution of single-cell level. This review describes principle of the AFM device and method to estimate elasticity of the cell from force curves obtained by the AFM measurement. When we apply the measurement to a growing plant, the sample has to be held on the measurement substrate without inhibiting the growth. We also introduce a solution for this problem, in which a glass micro device is applied to the substrate.