Figure 5.

Simplified schematic of hypothetical detachment mechanisms for bacteria bound to SAMs presenting α-C-mannoside groups. The sequence A → B represents the simplest case in which one pilus is attached. The sequence C → D → E → F represents a case in which three pili bind to the surface but only one pili comes under tension at a time. In this case, the pili can dissociate sequentially, and the force required to remove the bacterium would be indistinguishable from the force required to remove a bacterium attached through a single pilus. Similarly, the force required to remove the bacterium in G might be indistinguishable from that required to remove the bacterium in H.