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Atomic Force Microscopy pp 203–217Cite as

Imaging and Manipulation of Extracellular Traps by Atomic Force Microscopy

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1886))

Abstract

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are part of an immunological response and one of the mechanisms by which neutrophils protect the host from pathogen invasion and proliferation. Notwithstanding their protective role, NETs have also been linked to the development of a variety of disorders, including cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. Since the first reports on NETs in 2004 it has been possible to image NETs by a variety of imaging techniques. Despite this, such reports seldomly include contact probe methods, and therefore lack the unique insights such techniques typically provide. In fact, more than 10 years have passed since the discovery of NETs, and although their importance as part of a unique cellular response mechanism has become very clear, studies that attempt to address them by atomic force microscopy (AFM) remain very limited. Particularly striking is the almost absent information on the mechanical properties of NETs, and factors that may influence them. The fact that NETs are a particularly adhesive network of filaments poses a considerable technical challenge for contact probe methods and can limit advances involving either imaging or manipulation of NETs by AFM. The current set of protocols aims at aiding a knowledgeable AFM operator to obtain AFM images and to perform force spectroscopy experiments with such samples. A variety of different topics, including sample preparation and data analysis, are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ZIK-HIKE, Center for Innovation and Competence—Humoral Immune Reactions in Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Ricardo H. Pires & Mihaela Delcea

  2. Department of Internal Medicine B, Cardiology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Ricardo H. Pires & Stephan B. Felix

  3. DZHK, German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Greifswald, Germany

    Ricardo H. Pires, Mihaela Delcea & Stephan B. Felix

Authors
  1. Ricardo H. Pires
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  2. Mihaela Delcea
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  3. Stephan B. Felix
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ricardo H. Pires .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Nuno C. Santos

  2. Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Filomena A. Carvalho

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Pires, R.H., Delcea, M., Felix, S.B. (2019). Imaging and Manipulation of Extracellular Traps by Atomic Force Microscopy. In: Santos, N., Carvalho, F. (eds) Atomic Force Microscopy. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1886. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8894-5_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8894-5_11

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-8893-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-8894-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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