Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
a
b
0
0
-200
-50
-400
-100
-600
20
30
40
60
20
30
40
60
Extension (nm)
Extension (nm)
c
100
0
-100
-200
20
30
40
60
Extension (nm)
Figure 8.5
Comparison of the sawtooth response from amyloid structures
using AFM. (a) Sawtooth response in the force-extension curve
from the amyloid fibril in the adhesive of
. (b)
Sawtooth response in the force-extension curve from a curli
fibril in the adhesive biofilm of
Entobdella soleae
. (c) Sawtooth response
in a typical force-extension curve from amyloid fibrils grown
from α-synuclein. Sawtooth responses are shown fit to the WLC
model (dotted lines). Both the approach (red) and retraction
(blue) force traces are shown. From A. S. Mostaert, R. Crockett,
G. Kearn, I. Cherny, E. Gazit, L. C. Serpell, and S. P. Jarvis,
Mechanically functional amyloid fibrils in the adhesive of a
marine invertebrate as revealed by Raman spectroscopy and
atomic force microscopy,
E
.
coli
Archives of Histology and Cytology
,
72
, 199-207 (2009), reprinted by permission of the publisher
(International Society of Histology and Cytology).
17
See also
Colour Insert.
While the chemical composition of many biological adhesives
remains unknown, by using AFM to pull apart individual amyloid
fibrils from adhesives, new insights into the underlying mechanical
design for adhesive strength and attachment at the molecular level
have been provided. These mechanical properties indicate that nature
has produced an optimized “glue” that effectively uses mechanically
Search WWH ::
Custom Search