Determination of the kinetic on- and off-rate of single virus-cell interactions.

Human rhinoviruses are the causative agents of the common cold. The serotypes belonging to the minor receptor group attach to members of the low-density lipoprotein receptor family and enter the host cell via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Receptor binding, the very first step in infection, was characterized by force spectroscopy measurements at the single molecule level. We demonstrate how kinetic on- and off-rate constants can be derived from such experiments carried out with the atomic force microscope.