The bacterial adhesive protein FimH forms bonds so-called catch-bonds with the carbohydrate monomannose whose strength increases under force. We introduce FimH here as a nanoadhesive that binds strongly within a characteristic force range but poorly below and above this range. We demonstrate that a mixture of adhesive-covered beads can be sorted by size in a flow chamber or can function collectively as in situ wall shear stress sensors. We also propose applications of catch-bonds for shear-selective drug delivery and shear stress mapping in biological systems.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.