dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaVisualization of Cytoskeletal Elements by the Atomic Force Microscope
| Authors | T. Berdyyeva, C. D. Woodworth, I. Sokolov |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0406130 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0406130 |
Abstract
We describe a novel application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to directly visualize cytoskeletal fibers in human foreskin epithelial cells. The nonionic detergent Triton X-100 in a low concentration was used to remove the membrane, soluble proteins, and organelles from the cell. The remaining cytoskeleton can then be directly visualized in either liquid or air-dried ambient conditions. These two types of scanning provide complimentary information. Scanning in liquid visualizes the surface filaments of the cytoskeleton, whereas scanning in air shows both the surface filaments and the total "volume" of the cytoskeletal fibers. The smallest fibers observed were ca. 50 nm in diameter. The lateral resolution of this technique was ca.20 nm, which can be increased to a single nanometer level by choosing sharper AFM tips. Because the AFM is a true three dimensional technique, we are able to quantify the observed cytoskeleton by its density and volume. The types of fibers can be identified by their size, similar to electron microscopy.
{
"annotation_id": "7bb3a1c7-f0e4-4f9d-9b12-a0457cc23be7",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:00:50.376000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:00:50.376000Z",
"file_hash": "b68d64c487b3d796d3a6975d9678495872696d1e73d02fc9f5aa6ab1c53da404",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "We describe a novel application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to directly\nvisualize cytoskeletal fibers in human foreskin epithelial cells. The nonionic\ndetergent Triton X-100 in a low concentration was used to remove the membrane,\nsoluble proteins, and organelles from the cell. The remaining cytoskeleton can\nthen be directly visualized in either liquid or air-dried ambient conditions.\nThese two types of scanning provide complimentary information. Scanning in\nliquid visualizes the surface filaments of the cytoskeleton, whereas scanning\nin air shows both the surface filaments and the total \"volume\" of the\ncytoskeletal fibers. The smallest fibers observed were ca. 50 nm in diameter.\nThe lateral resolution of this technique was ca.20 nm, which can be increased\nto a single nanometer level by choosing sharper AFM tips. Because the AFM is a\ntrue three dimensional technique, we are able to quantify the observed\ncytoskeleton by its density and volume. The types of fibers can be identified\nby their size, similar to electron microscopy.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0406130",
"authors": [
"T. Berdyyeva",
"C. D. Woodworth",
"I. Sokolov"
],
"categories": [
"physics.bio-ph",
"physics.ins-det",
"physics.med-ph",
"q-bio.CB"
],
"title": "Visualization of Cytoskeletal Elements by the Atomic Force Microscope",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0406130"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "a3643c2b-f4b6-49ee-8fda-616196d5f12b",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}