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Updated: May 11, 2026

Investigating Receptor-ligand Systems of the Cellulosome with AFM-based Single-molecule Force Spectroscopy
Published on: December 20, 2013
Energy landscapes of ligand-receptor couples probed by dynamic force spectroscopy
1Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Johannes-Gutenberg Universität, 55128 Mainz, Germany. janshof@nwz.uni-muenster.de
Abstract:
Playing a dominant role in many biochemical processes are the dynamic properties of molecular linkages; examples include cell adhesion, enzyme-catalyzed reactions, and molecular recognition by antibodies. Dynamic force spectroscopy, namely separating molecular bonds under external force ramps has rapidly become a powerful tool to study the rugged energy landscape of noncovalent ligand-receptor bonds. The picture shows a surface and tip-bound pair being pulled apart and the derived potential energy diagram.
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