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Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Tension Gauge Tether Probes for Quantifying Growth Factor Mediated Integrin Mechanics and Adhesion
Published on: February 11, 2022
Nanoparticle tension probes patterned at the nanoscale: impact of integrin clustering on force transmission
Yang Liu1, Rebecca Medda, Zheng Liu
1Department of Chemistry, Emory University , 1515 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States.
Abstract:
Herein we aimed to understand how nanoscale clustering of RGD ligands alters the mechano-regulation of their integrin receptors. We combined molecular tension fluorescence microscopy with block copolymer micelle nanolithography to fabricate substrates with arrays of precisely spaced probes that can generate a 10-fold fluorescence response to pN-forces. We found that the mechanism of sensing ligand spacing is force-mediated. This strategy is broadly applicable to investigating receptor clustering and its role in mechanotransduction pathways.
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