Sticky microbes: forces in microbial cell adhesion

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 biofilm formation), but also in medicine (biofilm infections) and biotechnology (cell aggregation). Rapid progress in atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques has made it possible to measure the forces driving cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions on a single cell basis. A living cell is attached to the AFM probe, thereby enabling researchers to measure the interaction forces between the cell and a target surface. Recent advances in our understanding of the forces driving cell adhesion and biofilm formation are discussed, with a focus on pathogens. These studies provide compelling evidence that, upon contact with a surface, cell adhesion components display a variety of mechanical responses that are important for cell adhesion.