Open Access

REVIEW

Catch Bonds: Physical Models and Biological Functions

by Cheng Zhu¹, Rodger P. McEver²

1 Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
2 Cardiovascular Biology Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics 2005, 2(3), 91-104. https://doi.org/10.3970/mcb.2005.002.091

Abstract

Force can shorten the lifetimes of receptor-ligand bonds by accelerating their dissociation. Perhaps paradoxical at first glance, bond lifetimes can also be prolonged by force. This counterintuitive behavior was named catch bonds, which is in contrast to the ordinary slip bonds that describe the intuitive behavior of lifetimes being shortened by force. Fifteen years after their theoretical proposal, catch bonds have finally been observed. In this article we review recently published data that have demonstrated catch bonds in the selectin system and suggested catch bonds in other systems, the theoretical models for their explanations, and their function as a mechanism for flow-enhanced adhesion.

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Keywords

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