Abstract
Biological processes rely on molecular interactions that can be directly measured using force spectroscopy techniques. Here we review how atomic force microscopy can be applied to force probe surfaces of living cells to single-molecule resolution. Such probing of individual interactions can be used to map cell surface receptors, and to assay the receptors' functional states, binding kinetics and landscapes. This information provides unique insight into how cells structurally and functionally modulate the molecules of their surfaces to interact with the cellular environment.
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Acknowledgements
We thank J. Friedrichs, M. Krieg, A. Taubenberger and A. Hyman for helpful comments. This work was supported by the European Union, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BmbF), the National Foundation for Scientific Research (FNRS), the Université catholique de Louvain, the Région wallonne, the Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs, and the Communauté française de Belgique.
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Müller, D., Helenius, J., Alsteens, D. et al. Force probing surfaces of living cells to molecular resolution. Nat Chem Biol 5, 383–390 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.181
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.181
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