Fig. 2. De-adhesion of two cells occurs with multiple rupture events. Histograms summarize the number of rupture events (jumps) preceding the complete detachment of the cantilever from the touched (put into contact) respective substrate from all force-distance profiles (Fig. 1B,E,H). Different interaction setups were tested. Recombinant cadherin dimers grafted to AFM cantilevers were put into contact with carpets of the respective cadherin dimers (A,B) and with myofibroblasts grown in monolayer (C,D). Proto-myofibroblasts were put into contact with N-cadherin (C) and OB-cadherin (F) and differentiated myofibroblasts were put into contact with OB-cadherin (D) and N-cadherin (E). In the cell-cell setup, proto-myofibroblasts (G) and differentiated myofibroblasts (H) were spread on tipless AFM cantilevers and put into contact with the same cell type grown in monolayer. Cantilever approach-retraction velocities were set to 0.1 µm/second, loading force to 3 nN and contact time to 2 seconds.