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High-Resolution Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Nucleic Acids

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Nanoscale Imaging

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1814))

Abstract

Exploring the limits of spatial resolution has been a constant in the history of atomic force microscopy imaging. Since its invention in 1986, the AFM has beaten the barrier of resolution continuously, thanks to technical developments, miniaturization of tips, and implementation of new imaging modes. The double helix structure of DNA has been always at the horizon of resolution. Today, this milestone has been reached, not only imaging DNA but also its close relative double-stranded RNA. Here, we provide a comprehensive description of the methods employed and the steps required to image the helical periodicity of these two nucleic acids with the sample immersed in a buffer solution.

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Acknowledgments

We thank E. Herrero-Galan and C. Aicart for providing details of the protocol for dsRNA and dsDNA fabrication and A. Gil for critical reading of the manuscript. We thank the financial support from the Spanish MINECO/FEDER (projects MAT2016-77608-C3-3-P and The “María de Maeztu” Programme for Units of Excellence in R&D (MDM-2014-0377) to J.G.-H. and FIS2014-58328-P to F.M.-H.). F.M.-H. also acknowledges support from European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation (grant agreement No 681299).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Pablo Ares & Julio Gomez-Herrero

  2. Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Julio Gomez-Herrero

  3. Department of Macromolecular Structures, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain

    Fernando Moreno-Herrero

Authors
  1. Pablo Ares
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  2. Julio Gomez-Herrero
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  3. Fernando Moreno-Herrero
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fernando Moreno-Herrero .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

    Yuri L. Lyubchenko

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Ares, P., Gomez-Herrero, J., Moreno-Herrero, F. (2018). High-Resolution Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Nucleic Acids. In: Lyubchenko, Y. (eds) Nanoscale Imaging. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1814. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8591-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8591-3_1

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-8590-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-8591-3

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