Recent progress in AFM molecular recognition studies

During the past decade, remarkable advances have been made in using atomic force microscopy (AFM) for measuring the forces and the dynamics of the interaction between individual ligands and receptors, providing fundamental insights into molecular recognition processes. In addition, affinity imaging using either adhesion force mapping or dynamic recognition force mapping has offered a means to localize specific binding sites on model and cellular surfaces. These single-molecule analyses provide novel insight into the structure-function relationships of molecular recognition systems. In this review, we describe the principles of molecular recognition studies using AFM and provide a flavor of recent progress made in the field.