This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: biophysj.105.079426v1 90/7/L52    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Smith, A.-S. Articles by Sackmann, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smith, A.-S. Articles by Sackmann, E.

Force-Controlled Equilibria of Specific Vesicle-Substrate Adhesion

Ana-Sunana Smith, Barbara G. Lorz, Stefanie Goennenwein and Erich Sackmann

E22 Lehrstuhl für Biophysik, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany

Correspondence: Address reprint requests and inquiries to A.-S. Smith, E-mail: asmith{at}ph.tum.de; or E. Sackmann, E-mail: sackmann{at}ph.tum.de.

We have developed "vertical" magnetic tweezers capable of exerting controlled pico and subpico Newton forces. Using this apparatus, we apply a point-like force to a vesicle that is adhered by means of specific bonds between the vesicle-carrying oligosaccharide sialyl Lewis^X and the surface-grafted E-selectin. An exponential decrease of the bound vesicle area with the decay rate that is insensitive to the force and the composition of the system is observed. We measure an equilibrium under force that is associated with an increased binding in the center of the contact zone. We also show that the determination of the shape is potentially sufficient to determine the number of formed specific bonds.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A.-S. Smith, K. Sengupta, S. Goennenwein, U. Seifert, and E. Sackmann Force-induced growth of adhesion domains is controlled by receptor mobility PNAS, May 13, 2008; 105(19): 6906 - 6911. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]