Automated indentation analysis technique for the investigation of plant and fungal cell nano-mechanics using Atomic Force Microscopy

In this project, we investigated the mechanics of different types of cells with the help of an Atomic force microscope (AFM) in force mapping mode. We investigated the stomatal mechanics of Arabidopsis Thaliana and its mutant pme6, and we also investigated the cell mechanics of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans and one of its mutants missing the AP-2 adaptor complex. The pme6 mutant alters the pectin concentration in the cell wall and has an effect in both plant growth and the stomatal biological function, while the AP-2 mutation in C. albicans is considered to have an effect to cell wall’s regulation and its virulence.
We developed a dynamic programming technique for the analysis of AFM force mapping experiments, and we implemented an analytical equation/Contact mechanics model found in literature for the calculation of the elastic modulus. We also discuss on the different modulus values resulting from the different models, and its relation to powel law exponent beta.