Applying atomic force microscopy for work with the cell surface of Candida albicans
Candida albicans is a yeast-like fungus that lives on people's mucous membranes and skin and does not cause infections. However, it plays a role in the development of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised people. In this work, we would like to evaluate the possibility of studying the cell wall of C. albicans by atomic force microscopy, as well as compare the operating modes of the microscope and choose the most optimal one for working with the fungus. Atomic force microscopy is a powerful tool for evaluating surfaces, including the cell walls of biological objects. The microscope is capable of operating in different modes, but in this work we compared two of them: contact and semi-contact. These methods are the most popular for evaluating the surfaces of biological objects. Comparison of the modes was carried out on the C. albicans strain. The surface of the strain was scanned by atomic force microscopy, and the curves of the dependence of the sensor deviation from the distance to the object were recorded. Scanning and recording of curves were carried out in two modes of operation of the microscope: contact and semi-contact, as well as three sensors: soft, medium and hard. As a result of the study, the optimal sensor and mode for atomic-force microscopy were selected.