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Cell Force Microscopy on Elastic Layers of Finite Thickness

Institute of Bio- and Nanosystems, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

Correspondence: Address reprint requests to Rudolf Merkel, Institute of Bio- and Nanosystems 4, Biomechanics, Research Centre Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany. Tel.: 49-2461-61-3080; Fax: 49-2461-61-3907.

Forces applied by cells to substrates can be measured using soft substrates with embedded displacement markers. Traction forces are retrieved from microscopic images by determining the displacements of these markers and fitting the generating forces. Here we show that using elastic films of 5–10-µm thickness one can improve the spatial resolution of the technique. To this end we derived explicit equations for the mechanical response of an elastic layer of finite thickness to point forces. Moreover, these equations allow highly accurate force measurements on eukaryotic cells on films where finite thickness effects are relevant (below 60 µm).

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