ABSTRACT
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is finding increasing application in a variety of fields including microbiology. In electron microscopy, immunolabelled nanoparticles are often used, and this technique has also been implemented in AFM under dry conditions and in liquid. In addition to cell mounting procedures, other considerations related to microbial cell imaging should be considered. Chemically attaching the cells to the surface is yet another approach to immobilizing microbial cells for AFM imaging in liquid. The interactions between the microbial cell and an untreated substrate are strong enough to ensure immobilization. Characterizing a microbial cell’s response to chemicals is a common application in which images before and after chemical treatment are compared. Imaging living cells by AFM allows dynamic biological events to be studied, at the nanoscale, in real time. Few areas of biological research have as much to gain as microbiology from the application of AFM.
