Forces due to surface water measured by force microscopy. Consequences for anchoring biological cells to surfaces

Interaction forces in 'Scanning Force Microscopy' (SFM). Force curves revealed exponentially decaying, attractive forces between silicon tip and silicon sample in aqueous media. Replacing the silicon sample by a sheet of mica, the interaction forces had both, an attractive and a repulsive component. Addition of salts generally reduced the forces. At 500 mM salt concentration, the attractive force became quantized with a residual force value of 23 pN. The attractive force is attributed to the gain in energy of water molecules which are released from surface water into free water during tip-sample approach. This conclusion is supported by a statistical model. The repulsive force contribution in the case of mica, is caused by hydration forces due to the spatial organization of crystalline water on the mica surface. Anchoring of biological cells. Molecular resolution of cell surfaces by SFM requires cell anchoring without interference with cell physiology. For this a novel strategy, 'hydrophobic anchoring' was designed. It avoids strong attractive forces between cell and by using a flexible spacer molecule. It establishes anchoring by a lipid (bound to the spacer), which weakly interacts with the hydrophobic core of the cell membrane. The method was subjected to tests using RBL-2H3, CH0αβ and HEK-293 cells. The strength of cell anchoring was assayed by shear forces. In all cases 'hydrophobic anchoring' via a spacer caused elective anchoring much beyond controls. Such cell anchoring was employed for the imaging of RBL-2H3 cells by SFM. Images showed considerable finer details than images of loosely adsorbed cells. With about 50 rim resolution, SFM succeeded in imaging microvilli, filopodia, single cytoskeletal fibers (microtubules, microfilaments) and vesicles. In addition, as a consequence of cell stimulation upon ionomycin treatment, lamellae formation and the appearance of secretory granules on top of them were observed which indicates the viability of anchored cells. (author)