Imaging Cell-Matrix Adhesions and Collective Migration of Living Cells by Electrochemiluminescence Microscopy

Cell-matrix adhesions play essential roles in a variety of biological processes. Herein, we report a label-free method to map cell-matrix adhesions of single living cells on an electrode surface by electrochemiluminescence (ECL). An indium tin oxide electrode modified with a silica nanochannel membrane was used as the substrate electrode, at which the ECL generation from freely diffusing luminophores provided a distinct visual contrast between adhesion sites and noncontacted domains, thus selectively revealing the former in a label-free manner. With this methodology, we studied the spatial distribution, as well as dynamic variation, of cell-matrix adhesions and the adhesion strength at the subcellular level. Cell-matrix adhesions of an advancing cell sheet were finally imaged to study the movement of cells in collective migration. A statistical analysis suggests that cells on the far side of leading edge also have the propensity to migrate and do not act as just passive followers.