NEURON DECAPPING CHARACTERIZATION BY ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY - A TOPOLOGICAL SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS

WE tested a new approach to cell decapping on rat cerebellar neurones, and observed its effects on cell topography by atomic force microscop y (AFM). The results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of our deca pping approach, and also the ability of AFM to reveal fine details of the decapped cells. Specifically, varying the conditions and duration of the decapping process modifies the extent of the decapping. Such a method can be used to investigate the cytoplasm with surface sensitive techniques.