Force Microscopy

A complete examination of the uses of the atomic force microscopein biology and medicine This cutting-edge text, written by a team of leading experts, isthe first detailed examination of the latest, most powerfulscanning probe microscope, the atomic force microscope (AFM). Usingthe AFM, in combination with conventional tools and techniques,readers gain a profound understanding of the cell, subcellularorganelles, and biomolecular structure and function. The text begins with three chapters describing the molecularmachinery and mechanism of cell secretion and membrane fusion incells, using approaches that combine AFM, electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction, photon correlation spectroscopy, molecularbiology, biochemistry, and electrophysiology. The discovery of anew cellular structure the "porosome" or fusion pore--the cellssecretory machinery, the molecular mechanism of membrane fusion incells, and the expulsion of intravesicular contents during cellsecretion are outlined in the first three chapters. The book alsocovers: * Identification of the "porosome" in the growth hormone secretingcell of the pituitary gland * Probing the structural and physical properties of microbial cellsurfaces * Scanning probe microscopic characterization of the higher plantcell wall and its components * Case studies of nano drug delivery systems using engineereddendrimers * AFM techniques for studying living cells * Investigating the intermolecular forces of leukocyte adhesionmolecules * Protein-protein interactions * Micromechanical properties of lipid bilayers and vesicles The text concludes with four chapters that examine new and emergingapproaches in the use of force microscopy in biology andmedicine. This text is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate studentsand researchers in cell and molecular biology, genetics, genomics,physiology, neuroscience, biophysics, and biochemistry. Not onlydoes it provide the theory, but also practical considerations suchas the selection of the right tools and approach.