title: Single-molecule methods to study cell adhesion molecules.
abstract: Single molecule techniques are used to characterize the biophysical properties of individual molecules in a mechanically well-controlled environment. The information obtained from direct force measurements can provide the dynamic adhesion forces of cell adhesion molecules, which may shed insights on molecular mechanisms of cellular adhesion. In addition, single-molecule techniques enable us to observe the detailed distributions of individual molecular behaviors that cannot be readily obtained from ensemble measurements. In this chapter, the protocols of using atomic force microscopy and optical tweezers to study cell adhesion molecules are presented.
authors: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fischell Bioengineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. jseog@umd.edu
authors: Joonil
authors: J
authors: Seog
mesh_terms: D001703:Biophysics; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D052898:Optical Tweezers
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D004247:DNA