Carbohydrates are essential mediators of many processes in health and disease. They
regulate self-/non-self-discrimination, are key elements of cellular communication, cancer …

During the last three decades, a series of key technological improvements turned atomic
force microscopy (AFM) into a nanoscopic laboratory to directly observe and chemically …

Microorganisms have evolved to thrive in virtually any terrestrial and marine environment,
exposing them to various mechanical cues mainly generated by fluid flow and pressure as …

In the wild, bacteria are predominantly associated with surfaces as opposed to existing as
free-swimming, isolated organisms. They are thus subject to surface-specific mechanics …

Mechanosensing describes the ability of a cell to sense mechanical cues of its
microenvironment, including not only all components of force, stress, and strain but also …

Pili are crucial virulence factors for many Gram-negative pathogens. These surface
structures provide bacteria with a link to their external environments by enabling them to …

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the most common cause of E. coli diarrhea in
farm animals. ETEC are characterized by the ability to produce two types of virulence factors …

Bladder infections affect millions of people yearly, and recurrent symptomatic infections
(cystitis) are very common. The rapid increase in infections caused by multidrug-resistant …

Ligand–receptor interactions that are reinforced by mechanical stress, so-called catch-
bonds, play a major role in cell–cell adhesion. They critically contribute to widespread …

Classical cadherin cell-cell adhesion proteins play key morphogenetic roles during
development and are essential for maintaining tissue integrity in multicellular organisms …