High-throughput analysis of embryo mechanical properties by atomic force microscopy

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19367
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biology of Cells to Organisms, and related fields
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: okajima takaharu 北海道大学, 情報科学研究科, 教授 (70280998)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 細胞力学 / 発生胚 / 原子間力顕微鏡

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Measuring cell mechanical properties is important to understand the mechanism of not only single cells but also cell population systems such as developing embryo. In this study, I developed a new type of atomic force microscopy (AFM) that allows us to map embryo mechanical properties at the single cell level. I first proposed an AFM method for calibrating the elastic modulus of cells with a large tilt angle. Next, I measured the stiffness of cell monolayer as a cell population system and found that the stiffness has a large spatial correlation in cell monolayer. Furthermore, I succeeded to measure the apparent Young's modulus and cell viscosity of embryo during the developing stages and found that the cell stiffness is associated with actin filaments and myosin in cortical regions. Overall, the AFM developed in this study is useful for investigating cell rheological properties in various types of embryo at the subcellular spatial resolution.

Free Research Field

生物物理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

発生胚の胚形成メカニズムの理解は基礎生物学および再生医療において極めて重要である。近年、胚形成には細胞の力学特性が密接に関係していることが指摘されているが、胚形成過程における細胞力学特性を追跡する方法が皆無のため、胚発生の力学メカニズムは不明な点が多い、本研究では、原子間力顕微鏡を用いて、多数の発生胚の力学特性の計測を行った。本技術は、様々な発生胚の力学メカニズムの理解に貢献すると期待できる。