Cell–Cell Mating Interactions: Overview and Potential of Single-Cell Force Spectroscopy

Abstract

It is an understatement that mating and DNA transfer are key events for living organisms. Among the traits needed to facilitate mating, cell adhesion between gametes is a universal requirement. Thus, there should be specific properties for the adhesion proteins involved in mating. Biochemical and biophysical studies have revealed structural information about mating adhesins, as well as their specificities and affinities, leading to some ideas about these specialized adhesion proteins. Recently, single-cell force spectroscopy (SCFS) has added important findings. In SCFS, mating cells are brought into contact in an atomic force microscope (AFM), and the adhesive forces are monitored through the course of mating. The results have shown some remarkable characteristics of mating adhesins and add knowledge about the design and evolution of mating adhesins.

A Review of the Current State of Magnetic Force Microscopy to Unravel the Magnetic Properties of Nanomaterials Applied in Biological Systems and Future Directions for Quantum Technologies

“…This operational mode allows the determination of the rupture force events between functionalized tips and chemically modified surfaces. AFM-FS has been successfully employed to discern the range of intermolecular interactions between redox enzymes with their protein partners [ 81 ] or coenzymes [ 82 ], recognition events between biomolecules [ 83 ] or cells [ 84 ], bioluminescence-engineered proteins [ 85 ], or the adhesion displayed between natural plant fibers and biopolymer matrices [ 86 ]. The nanomechanical properties of biological soft matter can be deciphered by nanoindentation studies [ 87 ].…”

Interdomain Linker Effect on the Mechanical Stability of Ig Domains in Titin

“…To examine the linker effect, we used atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) to measure the mechanical stability of human Ig domains. SMFS can manipulate a single molecule mechanically [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ] and AFM-SMFS has been widely used to study the mechanical stability of proteins [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], protein-protein interactions [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ], and chemical bonds [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. Many titin domains have been studied [ 57 , 58 , 59 ].…”