The CellHesion® 200 is an integrated system for measuring cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions. The system can also be used to quantify cell elasticity and cellular response to external mechanical stress or can map tissues.
The quality of the force spectroscopy data is vital for successful analysis. The lowest electronic noise floor and the most rigid mechanical design are essential. The highest accuracy and stability of the instrument is ensured by integrated capacitive position sensors with exceptional performance. For minimized drift, the system design is symmetric.
For the detection of smallest variations in force curves JPK improved the sensitivity and increased the detection bandwidth without compromising the noise levels. The high sampling rate and virtually unlimited number of data points per force curve complete this unique instrument.
1. A single living cell is chemically bound to the cantilever sensor (e.g., through a fibronectin coating) under optical control.
2. This cell is brought with a defined force into contact with the binding target (molecular layer, implant surface, single cell, confluent monolayer) on the substrate (slide, coverslip or Petri dish).
3. After a user-defined reaction time the cell on the cantilever is separated from the substrate cell by retracting the cantilever in vertical direction (z-axis) through a piezo actuator.
4. The cell resists the attempt of removing it from the surface if it adheres to the target. Therefore the cantilever bends noticeably, which is measured by a detector.
Because, in physical terms, a cantilever is a leaf spring, the actual adhesive forces and energies can be derived from the measured bending. This allows the identification of single-molecule binding events that contribute to the adhesion. The experiment is repeated many times with the same cell, with different cells, on different targets and with different conditions to gain statistically relevant information.
The result of a single measurement cycle is a force vs. distance curve, which allows to determine single molecule events, the “work of removal” W, tether formation, the maximum adhesion force and viscoelastic parameters.
The easy and complete integration of the CellHesion® 200 into inverted research microscopes from leading manufacturers such as Carl Zeiss, Leica, Nikon and Olympus makes it a powerful combination. Techniques such as epifluorescence, confocal microscopy or Superresolution microscopy (STED, STORM/PALM) can be used simultaneously with the CellHesion® system.
Observation of target cells with fluorescence techniques such as TIRF, CLSM, FRAP or Ca2+ imaging parallel to CellHesion® experiments gives insight about the molecular mechanisms involved in adhesion processes or cytoskeleton dynamics. All modes of optical transmission illumination techniques such as DIC or phase contrast can be used simultaneously. This is an important feature when transferring cells to the force sensor (cantilever) or to check the condition of the specimen. Structural information derived by these optical methods can be overlaid with functional data that is determined by force measurements via the DirectOverlay™ software feature, when the CellHesion®200 is used together with the motorized precision stage or the precision mapping stage add-ons.
CellHesion® 200 is tailor-made for the specialized requirements of working with living cells. The use of standard substrates such as 35mm Petri dishes with or without glass bottom or round coverslips makes cell cultivation and handling easy.
Temperature control from 15°C to 60 °C, fluid exchange and ports for CO2 control are integrated in the JPK PetriDishHeater™ or in the JPK BioCell™ designed for coverslips. As an option, the CellHesion® 200 can be integrated in existing incubators (ask for model).
All parts of the setup which are in contact with the sample can be sterilized. CellHesion® 200 offers enough vertical-axis travel range to handle large cells and separate even well-adhering cells from their substrates.
Bruker’s BioAFMs allow life science and biophysics researchers to further their investigations in the fields of cell mechanics and adhesion, mechanobiology, cell-cell and cell-surface interactions, cell dynamics, and cell morphology. We have collected a gallery of images demonstrating a few of these applications.
Optical systems/accessories, electrochemistry solutions, electrical sample characterization, environmental control options, software modules, temperature control, acoustic and vibration isolation solutions and more. Bruker provides you with the right accessories to control your sample conditions and to perform successful experiments.
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