Manual measurement and manipulation of the cell surface requires access to the cells, usually in an open chamber. Temperature-controlled chambers or stage inserts are preferred for maintaining physiological activity during the experiment. For example, heated culture dishes with coverslip glass bottoms (Bioptechs) permit high-resolution fluorescence microscopy of living cells during force application. - [Read Chambers for Examination of Live Cells under Mechanical Stress Protocol]
The atomic force microscope (AFM) is one of the most powerful tools for determining the surface topography of native biomolecules at subnanometer resolution. The AFM can also provide insight into the binding properties of biological systems. In order to determine the specific interaction between two kinds of molecules (e.g., avidin and biotin). Includes information on principle of AFM and application of AFM. - [Read Imaging, Measuring and Manipulating Native Biomolecular Systems with the Atomic Force Microscope]