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Probing surface tension additivity on chemically heterogeneous surfaces by a molecular approach.

ABSTRACT: Surface free energy of a chemically heterogeneous surface is often treated as an approximately additive quantity through the Cassie equation [Cassie ABD (1948) Discuss Faraday Soc 3:11-16]. However, deviations from additivity are common, and molecular interpretations are still lacking. We use molecular simulations to measure the microscopic analogue of contact angle, ?(c), of aqueous nanodrops on heterogeneous synthetic and natural surfaces as a function of surface composition. The synthetic surfaces are layers of graphene functionalized with prototypical nonpolar and polar head group: methyl, amino, and nitrile. We demonstrate positive as well as negative deviations from the linear additivity. We show the deviations reflect the uneven exposure of mixture components to the solvent and the linear relation is recovered if fractions of solvent-accessible surface are used as the measure of composition. As the spatial variations in polarity become of larger amplitude, the linear relation can no longer be obtained. Protein surfaces represent such natural patterned surfaces, also characterized by larger patches and roughness. Our calculations reveal strong deviations from linear additivity on a prototypical surface comprising surface fragments of melittin dimer. The deviations reflect the disproportionately strong influence of isolated polar patches, preferential wetting, and changes in the position of the liquid interface above hydrophobic patches. Because solvent-induced contribution to the free energy of surface association grows as cos ?(c), deviations of cos ?(c) from the linear relation directly reflect nonadditive adhesive energies of biosurfaces.

SUBMITTER: Wang J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3081020 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Probing surface tension additivity on chemically heterogeneous surfaces by a molecular approach.

Wang Jihang J Bratko Dusan D Luzar Alenka A

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20110401 16

Surface free energy of a chemically heterogeneous surface is often treated as an approximately additive quantity through the Cassie equation [Cassie ABD (1948) Discuss Faraday Soc 3:11-16]. However, deviations from additivity are common, and molecular interpretations are still lacking. We use molecular simulations to measure the microscopic analogue of contact angle, Θ(c), of aqueous nanodrops on heterogeneous synthetic and natural surfaces as a function of surface composition. The synthetic sur ...[more]

PMID: 21460249

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Project description:Mechanical forces are essential for a variety of biological processes ranging from transcription and translation to cell adhesion, migration, and differentiation. Through the activation of mechanosensitive signaling pathways, cells sense and respond to physical stimuli from the surrounding environment, a process widely known as mechanotransduction. At the cell membrane, many signaling receptors, such as integrins, cadherins and T- or B-cell receptors, bind to their ligands on the surface of adjacent cells or the extracellular matrix (ECM) to mediate mechanotransduction. Upon ligation, these receptor-ligand bonds transmit piconewton (pN) mechanical forces that are generated, in part, by the cytoskeleton. Importantly, these forces expose cryptic sites within mechanosensitive proteins and modulate the binding kinetics (on/off rate) of receptor-ligand complexes to further fine-tune mechanotransduction and the corresponding cell behavior. Over the past three decades, two categories of methods have been developed to measure cell receptor forces. The first class is traction force microscopy (TFM) and micropost array detectors (mPADs). In these methods, cells are cultured on elastic polymers or microstructures that deform under mechanical forces. The second category of techniques is single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) including atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical or magnetic tweezers, and biomembrane force probe (BFP). In SMFS, the experimenter applies external forces to probe the mechanics of individual cells or single receptor-ligand complexes, serially, one bond at a time. Although these techniques are powerful, the limited throughput of SMFS and the nN force sensitivity of TFM have hindered further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of mechanotransduction. In this Account, we introduce the recent advent of molecular tension fluorescence microscopy (MTFM) as an emerging tool for molecular imaging of receptor mechanics in living cells. MTFM probes are composed of an extendable linker, such as polymer, oligonucleotide, or protein, and flanked by a fluorophore and quencher. By measuring the fluorescence emission of immobilized MTFM probes, one can infer the extension of the linker and the externally applied force. Thus, MTFM combines aspects of TFM and SMFS to optically report receptor forces across the entire cell surface with pN sensitivity. Specifically, we provide an in-depth review of MTFM probe design, which includes the extendable "spring", spectroscopic ruler, surface immobilization chemistry, and ligand design strategies. We also demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of different versions of MTFM probes by discussing case studies involving the pN forces involved in epidermal growth factor receptor, integrin, and T-cell receptor signaling pathways. Lastly, we present a brief future outlook, primarily from a chemists' perspective, on the challenges and opportunities for the design of next generation MTFM probes.

Dataset Information

Probing surface tension additivity on chemically heterogeneous surfaces by a molecular approach.

Publications

Probing surface tension additivity on chemically heterogeneous surfaces by a molecular approach.

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