Mechanical measurements on living plant cells by micro-indentation with cellular force microscopy

Indentation methods on the micro- and nanoscale are increasingly used to assess mechanical properties of living plant tissues. These techniques rely on recording the force resulting from indenting the cell surface with a small probe. Depending on the scale of indentation and the indenter shape, force-indentation data will reflect several factors such as cell wall elasticity, turgor pressure, cell and tip geometry, and contact angle. Cellular force microscopy is a micro-indentation method that was designed to precisely measure and apply forces on living plant cells. Here we explain how to use this method to map the apparent stiffness in single cells and tissues.