Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy we studied the coadsorption of the ammo acid L-cysteine and gold on a rutile TiO2(110) surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Irrespective of the deposition order, i.e, irrespective of whether L-cysteine or gold is deposited first, the primary interaction between L-cysteine and-the gold clusters formed at the surface takes place through the deprotonated thiol group of the molecule. The deposition order, however, has a profound influence on the size of the gold clusters as well as their location on the surface. If L-cysteine is deposited first the clusters are smaller by a factor two to three compared to gold deposited onto the pristine TiO2(110) surface and then covered by L-cysteine. Further, in the former case the dusters cover the molecules and thus form the outermost layer of the sample. We also find that above a minimum gold cluster size the gold cluster/L-cysteine bond is stronger than the L-cysteine/surface bridging oxygen vacancy bond, which, in turn, is stronger than the gold cluster/vacancy bond.