Deposition and imaging of metal-coated biomolecules with the STM

We have applied a simple and reliable procedure for imaging biomolecules with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The biomolecules are adsorbed on glow-discharged mica, then coated with a thin film of platinum-carbon. We have tested this method with linear and circular (plasmid) DNA molecules....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ultramicroscopy 1992-07, Vol.42 (B), p.1250-1254
Main Authors: García, Ricardo, Yuqiu, Jiang, Schabtach, Eric, Bustamante, Carlos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry
Biological and medical sciences
DNA - ultrastructure
DNA, Circular - ultrastructure
Dna, deoxyribonucleoproteins
DNA, Viral - ultrastructure
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Metals
Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling - methods
Nucleic acids
Plasmids - ultrastructure
T-Phages - ultrastructure
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Summary:We have applied a simple and reliable procedure for imaging biomolecules with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The biomolecules are adsorbed on glow-discharged mica, then coated with a thin film of platinum-carbon. We have tested this method with linear and circular (plasmid) DNA molecules. The contrast and resolution of the STM images are comparable to electron micrographs of the same molecules when shadowes. Though the present lateral resolution (5–6 nm) is limited by the grain size of the conductive film, some details like supercoiled regions in the DNA are resolved. This method is interesting for two reasons. First, as an alternative technique for imaging biomolecules, Second, for use as a control in STM studies of bare biomolecules.
ISSN:0304-3991
1879-2723
DOI:10.1016/0304-3991(92)90431-I