Morphological and nanomechanical changes in mechanosensitive endothelial cells induced by colloidal AFM probes

Mechanotransduction is one of the main properties of endothelial cells (ECs) phenotype. Hemodynamic forces like flow-generated endothelial shear stress play a fundamental role in ECs cytoskeletal remodeling and activate signaling cascades in ECs. AFM methods are widely used to characterize morphology as well as mechanical properties of cells. In both cases AFM probes directly interact with cell surface exerting mechanical forces on the cellular membrane, which in turn may stimulate mechanosensitive receptors present in EC. This article presents examples of how the colloidal AFM probes influence ECs during multiple scans. The results revealed that multiple scans of the ECs significantly influenced the morphology and elasticity of cells. Moreover, changes in the cell shape and mechanical properties were dependent on the scan direction (across or along the main axis of the cell). Multiple scans with a colloidal probe leaded to reorientation of the cell main axis and this effect was similar to the action of the shear stress induced by flow conditions. Furthermore, the correlation between the tip-induced modification of the cell properties and the remodeling of the cell's glycocalyx was observed. SCANNING 38:654-664, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.