Dynamic studies on living cells with an atomic force fluorescence microscope

Analysis of the reaction of bone structure to mechanical stimulation is a key issue in understanding the origins of osteoporosis and mechanical adaptation of living bone to external forces. This is thought to be regulated on a cellular level. We have investigated quantitative mechanical stimulation of single bone cells and their immediate intracellular calcium responses using a combination of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a fluorescence microscope, developed in our laboratory. The force stimulation system can apply quantified forces in the pico- and nano-newton regime on exactly defined positions of a cell. We present here the first measurements using this system on the mechanically …