Abstract
Complexity of cell membrane poses difficulties to quantify corresponding morphology changes during cell proliferation and damage. We suggest using fractal dimension of the cell membrane to quantify its complexity and track changes produced by various treatments. Glutaraldehyde fixed mouse RAW 264.7 macrophage membranes were chosen as model system and imaged in PeakForce QNM (quantitative nanomechanics) mode of AFM (atomic force microscope). The morphology of the membranes was characterized by fractal dimension. The parameter was calculated for set of AFM images by three different methods. The same calculations were done for the AFM images of macrophages treated with colchicine, an inhibitor of the microtubule polymerization, and microtubule stabilizing agent taxol. We conclude that fractal dimension can be additional and useful parameter to characterize the cell membrane complexity and track the morphology changes produced by different treatments.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1239-1245 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Micron |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by the Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases, The Weizmann Institute of Science . Y.S. is the incumbent of the Harold S. and Harriet B. Brady Professorial Chair in Cancer Research.
Funding
This study was supported by the Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases, The Weizmann Institute of Science . Y.S. is the incumbent of the Harold S. and Harriet B. Brady Professorial Chair in Cancer Research.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Weizmann Institute of Science | |
| Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases, Weizmann Institute of Science |
Keywords
- Atomic force microscope
- Fractal dimension
- Macrophage membrane