A, B Abolishments of force-induced binding residues by 3A mutations (MICA 3A, n = 526) and TAT mutations (MICA TAT, n= 580) impairs NKG2D's catch bond with MICA WT (n = 1505) (A) and IFN-γ release (B). Data information: Bond lifetimes in (A) of MICA WT and mutants with NKG2D came from at least 21 pairs of cells and beads of at least three repeated experiments. IFN-γ release of NK cells in (B) was one representative experiment of three total independent experiments. Data points represent mean values. Error bars represent mean ± SEM for biological triplicate experiments. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, **** P <0.0001 (two-tailed unpaired t-test). 