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[Morphology and mechanical properties of normal lymphocyte and Jurkat revealed by atomic force microscopy]

Xiaofang Cai1, Jiye Cai, Shisong Dong

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.

Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao = Chinese Journal of Biotechnology
|October 20, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Biophysical properties of lymphocytes, including adhesion force and Young's modulus, differ significantly between normal and cancerous (Jurkat) cells. Atomic force microscopy reveals distinct mechanical profiles, enabling differentiation for disease diagnosis.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Biomaterials

Context:

  • Lymphocyte biophysical properties (morphology, viscoelasticity) are linked to human health and disease.
  • Cancerous cells often exhibit altered mechanical characteristics compared to normal cells.

Purpose:

  • To characterize and compare the morphology and mechanical properties of normal lymphocytes and Jurkat cells using atomic force microscopy (AFM).
  • To investigate the potential of AFM-based force spectroscopy for distinguishing between normal and cancerous lymphocytes based on their biophysical differences.

Summary:

  • AFM imaging showed similar cell shapes for normal lymphocytes and Jurkat cells.
  • AFM force spectroscopy revealed significant differences in adhesion force, Young's modulus, and stiffness.
  • Normal lymphocytes exhibited higher adhesion force (796.7 +/- 248.5 pN) and Young's modulus (0.471 kPa +/- 0.081 kPa) compared to Jurkat cells (158.5 +/- 37.5 pN and 0.0964 kPa +/- 0.0229 kPa, respectively).
  • Normal lymphocytes had a stiffness of (2.278 +/- 0.488) mN/m, while Jurkat cells had a stiffness of (4.322 +/- 0.382) mN/m.

Impact:

  • The distinct mechanical properties identified by AFM allow for clear differentiation between normal and cancerous cells, even when morphology is similar.
  • These findings have potential applications in clinical disease diagnosis for distinguishing healthy from cancerous cells.

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