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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Assay of Adhesion Under Shear Stress for the Study of T Lymphocyte-Adhesion Molecule Interactions
Published on: June 29, 2016
Cation-π Interactions and Their Contribution to Mussel Underwater Adhesion Studied Using a Surface Forces Apparatus:
Sohee Park1, Sangsik Kim1,2, YongSeok Jho3
1Division of Environmental Science and Engineering , Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) , 77 Chengam-ro, Nam-gu , Pohang 37673 , Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Mussel underwater adhesion is a model phenomenon important for the understanding of broader biological adhesion and the development of biomimetic wet adhesives. The catechol moiety of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine (DOPA) is known to be actively involved in the mechanism of mussel underwater adhesion; however, other underwater adhesion mechanisms are also crucial. The surface forces apparatus (SFA) has often been used to explore the contributions of other mechanisms to mussel underwater adhesion; e.g., recent SFA-based nanomechanical studies have revealed that cation-π interactions, one of the strongest intermolecular interactions in water, are the pivotal interactions of adhesive proteins involved in underwater mussel adhesion. This mini-review surveys recent research on cation-π interactions and their contributions to strong mussel underwater adhesion, shedding light on some biological processes and facilitating the development of biomedical adhesives.
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