抄録
Mechanical measurements of single cells are crucial for understanding various cell behaviors. The viscoelastic properties of a number of rat fibroblast cells in the process of transformations such as growth (Phase II), senescence (Phase III) and immortalization (IM) were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) combining with a cell microarray technique. The complex shear modulus of cells as a function of frequency was fitted to a power-law model, consisting of a single power-law function in addition to the Newtonian viscosity. Both the mean value and standard deviation of the power-law exponent a strongly depended on the cell phases. As a result, the power-law behaviors of cells were changed in the process of transformation. In addition, the behaviors were strongly dependent on F-actin microfilaments.
