It has long been appreciated that the Gram-negative outer membrane acts as a permeability
barrier, but recent studies have uncovered a more expansive and versatile role for the outer …

In addition to their early-recognized functions in host defense and the clearance of apoptotic
cell debris, macrophages play vital roles in tissue development, homeostasis, and repair. If …

Many Gram-negative bacteria use the sophisticated type II secretion system (T2SS) to
translocate a wide range of proteins from the periplasm across the outer membrane. The …

Receptor-ligand bonds strengthened by tensile mechanical force are referred to as catch
bonds. This review examines experimental data and biophysical theory to analyze why …

Rather than maximizing toughness, as needed for silk and muscle titin fibers to withstand
external impact, the much softer extracellular matrix fibers made from fibronectin (Fn) can be …

Understanding the fundamental forces involved in the adhesion of microbial cells is
important not only in microbiology, to elucidate cellular functions (such as ligand-binding or …

A variety of bacterial pathogens use nanoscale protein fibers called type IV pili to mediate
cell adhesion, a primary step leading to infection. Currently, how these nanofibers respond …

The unique capabilities of the atomic force microscope (AFM), including super‐resolution
imaging, piconewton force‐sensitivity, nanomanipulation and ability to work under …

Although ubiquitous, the processes by which bacteria colonize surfaces remain poorly
understood. Here we report results for the influence of the wall shear stress on the early …

One of the most exciting discoveries in biological adhesion is the recent and counter-
intuitive observation that the lifetimes of some biological adhesive bonds, called catch …