Membrane receptor-ligand interactions mediate many cellular functions. Binding kinetics
and downstream signaling triggered by these molecular interactions are likely affected by
the mechanical environment in which binding and signaling take place. A recent study
demonstrated that mechanical force can regulate antigen recognition by and triggering of
the T-cell receptor (TCR). This was made possible by a new technology we developed and
termed fluorescence biomembrane force probe (fBFP), which combines single-molecule …