Nanomechanics of adhesion proteins.
Recent advances in molecular force measurements have resulted in the quantification of the nanomechanical properties of single molecular bonds, and elucidated novel relationships between molecular architecture and biomolecular adhesion. The measured forces to rupture single intermolecular bonds revealed novel and unexpected ways that proteins respond to mechanical force. Measurement of the magnitude of interprotein forces and the distances over which they act further determined how protein architecture may contribute to both the stability and structural organization of adhesive junctions.
Leckband
Deborah
D
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA. leckband@uiuc.edu
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D036103:Nanotechnology; D017510:Protein Folding
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules