Figure 1.

Application of a drag force to a membrane receptor using the drag created by a liquid flow. (A) The nanoparticle amplifies the drag force that acts on a receptor. (B) Geometry of the microfluidic channels used to conduct the experiment. (C) Multiple Clostridium perfringens ε-toxin (CPεT) receptor trajectories can be observed simultaneously. Four different trajectories are shown with black lines superimposed on the white-light transmission image of MDCK cells to highlight the multiplexing capabilities of this technique. (D) Position of a receptor for a cycle of liquid flow. A flow rate of 7.5 μL/min (flow speed: 0.002 m/s) was applied between t = 0 s and 33 s (shading: time range). When the flow is stopped, the receptor returns close to its initial position. (Blue arrows) Receptor is displaced linearly with time between the time points. (Straight red line) Linear fit in this time range.