A Bond for a Lifetime: Employing Membrane Nanotubes from Living Cells to Determine Receptor-Ligand Kinetics

摘要

Interactions of cell surface receptors with their ligands determine how cells respond to their environment. Receptors bind both soluble ligands, such as growth factors or neurotransmitters, and immobile ligands, such as extracellular matrix components or proteins on the surface of neighboring cells. While many interactions initiate outside-in signaling pathways, interactions with immobile ligands are the means by which cells adhere to their environment. The ability of these adhesive interactions to withstand mechanical forces is crucial to their function. The rate at which receptors and ligands dissociate depends on the force pulling them apart, with increasing force the off-rate is expected to rise exponentially.