An approach to imaging of living cell surface topography by scanning tunneling microscopy

Since a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was developed, an observation of living cell surface has been one of the final aims in the biological application of STM. By developing a new style of STM which was combined with an optical microscope and with a novel system for the centering of both images, we successfully got the STM images of living cell surface of T24 cells (human bladder cancer cell line) and CHO cells (Chinese hamster ovary fibroblast) cultured on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite under the appropriate condition (V greater than 8.0 V, I less than 0.2 nA). Unexpectedly, the living T24 cell showed a slightly uneven surface with a steep foot slope. The CHO cell showed more rough surface with steeper slope of cell foot. Although the STM system had a fine spatial resolution less than 3 nm, the profile of living cell surface covered with electrolyte was clear only when the scanning area was more than 10 microns square.