Atomic Force Microscopy: A Tool for Studying Biophysical Surface Properties Underpinning Fungal Interactions with Plants and Substrates

One of the primary roles of the cell surface is to provide an effective barrier to various external environmental factors. Specifically, the surface properties of organisms serve as a critical obstacle to pathogen attack. Since its inception, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has enabled nanoscale imaging of cell surfaces in their native state. However AFM has yet to be systematically applied toward resolving surface features and the forces underpinning plant-fungal interactions. In an effort to understand the physical forces involved at the plant-microbe interface, we describe a method for the attachment of fungal spores to AFM tips and the subsequent measurement of unbinding forces between spores with a range of substrates and plant surfaces under physiologically relevant conditions. Investigations of binding events using AFM offer an unexplored, sensitive, and quantitative method for analyzing host-pathogen/microbe-surface interactions.