Membrane Stiffness of Animal Cells Challenged by Osmotic Stress

Abstract

An atomic force microscope equipped with either a spherical indenter (see SEM image) or a conical tip has been utilized to analyze the nanomechanical behavior of living kidney cells under osmotic stress. The Young's modulus of the cells increases with osmolarity of the medium due to immense compaction of the cell. The change of stiffness is highly reversible and depends strongly on the location on the cell surface.