Atomic force microscopy measurements. Measurements of binding strength between a single pair of molecules in physiological solutions.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements of intermolecular binding strength between a single pair of complementary cell adhesion molecules in physiological solutions provided the first quantitative evidence for their cohesive function. This novel AFM based nanobiotechnology opens a molecular mechanic approach for studying structure to function related properties of any type of individual biological macromolecules. The presented example of Porifera cell adhesion glyconectin proteoglycans showed that homotypic carbohydrate to carbohydrate interactions between two primordial proteoglycans can hold the weight of 1600 cells. Thus, glyconectin type carbohydrates, as the most peripheral cell surface molecules of sponges (today's simplest living Metazoa), are proposed to be the primary cell adhesive molecules essential for the evolution of the multicellularity.
Misevic
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Institut Fédératif de Recherche Systèmes Intégrés, FR 61 CNRS, Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, F-76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011161:Porifera / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D012996:Solutions; D055672:Static Electricity
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D011509:Proteoglycans; D012996:Solutions