Abstract
The mechanical properties of live cells are associated with various cell functions, and thus it is crucial to determine the cell elastic modulus, which is one of the fundamental quantities of matter and changes with time and frequency. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) allows us to directly measure the relaxation modulus of single cells in stress and creep relaxation measurements as well as the cell complex modulus in the force modulation. Recent progress in AFM combined with microfabricated substrates revealed the cell-cell variability of cell mechanics, in which the cell modulus exhibits a log-normal distribution depending on the frequency, according to a power-law rheology model. The AFM with micropost substrates as a force sensor demonstrated the direct measurement of intracellular force propagation through cytoskeletal networks between focal adhesions.
