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Atomic Force Microscopy to Study Intermolecular Forces and Bonds Associated with Bacteria

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Bacterial Adhesion

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 715))

Abstract

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) operates on a very different principle than other forms of microscopy, such as optical microscopy or electron microscopy. The key component of an AFM is a cantilever that bends in response to forces that it experiences as it touches another surface. Forces as small as a few picoNewtons can be detected and probed with AFM. AFM has become very useful in biological sciences because it can be used on living cells that are immersed in water. AFM is particularly useful when the cantilever is modified with chemical groups (e.g. amine or carboxylic groups), small beads (e.g. glass or latex), or even a bacterium. This chapter describes how AFM can be used to measure forces and bonds between a bacterium and another surface. This paper also provides an example of the use of AFM on Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive bacterium that is often associated with biofilms in humans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Steven K. Lower

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  1. Steven K. Lower
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Correspondence to Steven K. Lower .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department I, Protein Evolution, Max-Planck Institute for Developmental B, Spemannstr. 35, Tübingen, 72076, Germany

    Dirk Linke

  2. , Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 1, Helsinki, FIN-00014, Finland

    Adrian Goldman

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Lower, S.K. (2011). Atomic Force Microscopy to Study Intermolecular Forces and Bonds Associated with Bacteria. In: Linke, D., Goldman, A. (eds) Bacterial Adhesion. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 715. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0940-9_18

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