Recognition of membrane receptor by atomic force microscopy

Membrane receptors play important roles in the signal pathway to regulate cell functions, and therefore, they are usually the main drug targets. However, the study of cell membrane receptors in situ on molecular level is difficult due to the current technical limitations. The recent development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) opens a new way to study the functionalities of cell membrane receptors. In this paper, techniques involving the use of AFM to probe the membrane proteins are introduced. The technique for characterizing specific single receptor using the functionalized AFM tip is discussed. An example of probing angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor on sensory neuron's membrane is also given in this paper.