Direct Imaging of DNA Fibers: The Visage of Double Helix

2012/11/22 by Francesco Gentile, Manola Moretti, Tania Limongi +7 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry #Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques #RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms

paper · doi:10.1021/nl3039162

openalex publication_date 2012/11/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15

Abstract

Direct imaging becomes important when the knowledge at few/single molecule level is requested and where the diffraction does not allow to get structural and functional information. Here we report on the direct imaging of double stranded (ds) λ-DNA in the A conformation, obtained by combining a novel sample preparation method based on super hydrophobic DNA molecules self-aggregation process with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experimental breakthrough is the production of robust and highly ordered paired DNA nanofibers that allowed its direct TEM imaging and the double helix structure revealing.

Citations

• Constant pressure molecular dynamics algorithms
• The structure of sodium thymonucleate fibres. I. The influence of water content
• Scalable molecular dynamics with NAMD

Cited by

• 2012 in science [wikipedia]

Related

• Investigation of a new conformation of double stranded DNA
• Characterizing the Structure of 3D DNA Origami in a Transmission Electron Microscope
• Superresolution imaging of single DNA molecules using stochastic photoblinking of minor groove and intercalating dyes
• Colloidal Flying Carpets
• Vertex pinning and stretching of single molecule DNA in a linear polymer solution