Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Huang DL
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5821505 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Huang Derek L DL Bax Nicolas A NA Buckley Craig D CD Weis William I WI Dunn Alexander R AR
Science (New York, N.Y.) 20170801 6352
Vinculin is an actin-binding protein thought to reinforce cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions. However, how mechanical load affects the vinculin-F-actin bond is unclear. Using a single-molecule optical trap assay, we found that vinculin forms a force-dependent catch bond with F-actin through its tail domain, but with lifetimes that depend strongly on the direction of the applied force. Force toward the pointed (-) end of the actin filament resulted in a bond that was maximally stable at 8 picone ...[more]