Measurement of Adhesive Forces between Individual Staphylococcus aureus MSCRAMMs and Protein-Coated Surfaces by Use of Optical Tweezers

The force required to rupture bonds between individual Staphylococcus aureus MSCRAMMs and surfaces coated with extracellular matrix molecules has been quantified by using optical tweezers. The observed binding forces between fibrinogen or fibronectin and S. aureus MSCRAMMs occurred as an approximate integer multiple of 20 or 25 pN, respectively.