ABSTRACT
The invention of atomic force microscopy (AFM) some two decades
ago opened up new realms for our perception of cell biology.
AFM produces three-dimensional images of biological surfaces at
single-molecule resolution in physiologically relevant environments.
Beyond this one-of-a-kind capability, AFM can be applied to cell
biology for a variety of investigations, such as to recognize single
molecules at work and study their function and structure. This
admirable technique is also being widely applied to measure forces,
study characteristic surface properties such as adhesion, and detect
mechanical responses, for example, stiffness changes of cells to
various physiological and pathophysiological stimuli. In this chapter,
the AFM capabilities and the usefulness of its broad application to
biological research are highlighted, with an emphasis on functional
investigations on nuclear pores under physiological conditions.
