Molecular mechanisms of cell adhesion: New perspectives from surface force measurements

This review highlights recent surface force measurements of the molecular interactions of protein adhesives. These studies identified novel molecular-binding mechanisms that are intimately linked to the protein structures. Central to these findings is the precise force and distance sensitivity achieved with the surface force apparatus. They illustrate that a mechanistic understanding of the nanomechanical properties of biomolecular adhesives requires measurements of both the strength of adhesion and the range of the protein interactions.