Direct force measurement of the interaction between liposome and the C2A domain of synaptotagmin I using atomic force microscopy

The binding force between a liposome and the C2A domain of synaptotagmin I was determined by an atomic force microscopy (AFM). Liposomes were immobilized on the surface of the L1 sensor chip and the C2A domains, which recognize phosphatidylserine, were chemically conjugated onto a gold-coated cantilever tip. The average interaction force between the C2A domain and the liposome was 306 (±57) pN while the force between untreated cantilever and the liposome was 58 (±16) pN. This work helps understand the physicochemical interactions between proteins and lipid vesicles for the design of high affinity protein probes against the apoptotic cell surface.