Rustem I. Litvinov
= Rustem I. Litvinov
{c}
<Rustem I. Litvinov> studies the molecular mechanics of <fibrin>, the <protein> network formed during <coagulation>. A 2005 study led by Litvinov used <optical tweezers> to measure forces between individual interacting molecules. It examined <fibrin knob-hole interactions>, in which an exposed part of one molecule fits into a complementary binding pocket on another.<Polymerization of fibrin: specificity, strength, and stability of knob-hole interactions studied at the single-molecule level by Rustem I. Litvinov and others>[abstract and Figure 1]{ref}
The apparatus repeatedly brought a protein-coated bead into contact with a coated surface, then pulled the partners apart. The force rose while they remained attached and dropped when attachment ruptured. Removing a complementary binding part or adding a competing <peptide> suppressed the strong interactions. These controls helped distinguish specific molecular recognition from nonspecific adhesion. Forces around 125–130 piconewtons characterized the strong interactions under the experiment's pulling conditions. Such rupture measurements connect molecular assembly to mechanics, but the numerical rupture force is not a universal constant independent of how a bond is loaded.<Polymerization of fibrin: specificity, strength, and stability of knob-hole interactions studied at the single-molecule level by Rustem I. Litvinov and others>[abstract; Figure 2 force traces and Figure 4 controls]{ref}