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Related Concept Videos

Adherens Junctions01:24

Adherens Junctions

6.0K
Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types –  adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as  epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as  heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
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Adhesion01:14

Adhesion

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Adhesion occurs when one type of molecule is attracted to a different molecule. Water exhibits adhesive properties in the presence of polar surfaces, such as glass or cellulose in plants. For instance, when water is poured into a glass, the positively charged hydrogen molecules of water are more attracted to the negatively charged oxygen molecules in the silica than to the oxygen in neighboring water molecules.
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow...
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Fimbriae, Pili, and Axial Filaments01:28

Fimbriae, Pili, and Axial Filaments

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Fimbriae and pili are specialized bacterial surface structures that play pivotal roles in adhesion, genetic exchange, and motility. Composed primarily of pilin protein, these hairlike appendages are crucial for bacterial survival and pathogenicity in various environments.Fimbriae: Adhesion and PathogenicityFimbriae are fine, filamentous structures measuring 2–10 nanometers in diameter and are densely distributed on the bacterial cell surface. They facilitate bacterial adhesion to abiotic...
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Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

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The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin...
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Biological Methods for Microbial Control01:28

Biological Methods for Microbial Control

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Biological agents offer an effective means of controlling microbial growth by leveraging natural processes like predation, competition, and the secretion of antimicrobial substances.Predatory bacteria such as Bdellovibrio species target and kill pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli. They are widely used in poultry farms to control infections. Myxococcus species help combat plant-pathogenic fungi. These naturally occurring predators serve as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides and...
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Surface Membrane Barriers01:18

Surface Membrane Barriers

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The skin and mucous membranes serve as the primary line of defense against pathogens by providing both physical and chemical protection. These barriers are essential in preventing the entry and establishment of microbes, thereby maintaining the integrity of the host.
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Introducing Shear Stress in the Study of Bacterial Adhesion
13:28

Introducing Shear Stress in the Study of Bacterial Adhesion

Published on: September 2, 2011

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How Microbes Use Force To Control Adhesion.

Albertus Viljoen1, Johann Mignolet1, Felipe Viela1

  • 1Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

Journal of Bacteriology
|April 8, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) offers a powerful new way to study how microbes stick to surfaces. This technique measures single-molecule forces, revealing crucial details about microbial adhesion and biofilm formation.

Keywords:
atomic force microscopycell adhesioncell surface

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Last Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Introducing Shear Stress in the Study of Bacterial Adhesion
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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Microbial adhesion and biofilm formation are critical in various fields, including medicine and industry.
  • Traditional methods like microscopy and flow chambers provide bulk information but lack single-molecule resolution.
  • Understanding the forces governing initial microbial attachment is key to controlling biofilms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in applying atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study microbial adhesion.
  • To highlight how AFM elucidates the forces and dynamics of single-molecule adhesive interactions.
  • To connect force measurements with the functional mechanisms of microbial adhesins.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing state-of-the-art atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques.
  • Analyzing single-molecule force spectroscopy data from microbial specimens.
  • Integrating AFM findings with existing knowledge from molecular and cellular biology assays.

Main Results:

  • AFM enables precise measurement of forces involved in microbial adhesion at the single-molecule level.
  • Recent studies reveal the strength and dynamics of adhesive interactions crucial for biofilm development.
  • These force measurements provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying microbial attachment.

Conclusions:

  • Atomic force microscopy is a valuable tool complementing traditional methods for studying microbial adhesion.
  • Understanding the relationship between force and function in microbial adhesins is essential for controlling microbial interactions.
  • AFM opens new avenues for investigating the biophysics of microbial surface interactions and biofilm formation.